Through the Fire
by hoddypeak
Summary: COMPLETE / They are the prince and the princess of different kingdoms, and they have been taught all their lives to hate each other. They meet in unexpected circumstances, and that is only the beginning of the journey that eventually thaws their hearts filled with hatred. Will it be enough to end the grudge between the kingdoms, or are they starting a battle they've already lost?
1. The Beginnings

**I had this story up on previously with a different title, but due to some circumstances I had to face IRL, I decided to take it down. However, now I am ready to go on with this story! I hope you like it! :)**

* * *

There was absolutely no better feeling than the rush of excitement Hiccup had flowing in his veins right after having flown on Toothless. Flying made him feel more alive than anything else, and soaring in the skies was the best way to relax and forget about the dreading responsibilities that were waiting for him back on the ground. The mere thought of them were almost enough to make Hiccup feel sick to his stomach, and he often found himself wish he still were that carefree 15-year-old without a single worry on his shoulders. When he rode on the back of Toothless, the Night Fury, there was just him, his dragon, the breeze and the sky. On some occasions, if they were unlucky, they were also accompanied by some rain or hail. The best part, however, was that Hiccup just knew that no one would even try looking for him when he and the dragon were gone; there were no limits to the size of the sky, which meant that Hiccup and the black dragon had limitless possibilities to fly to. His father thought it was reckless and too dangerous, Hiccup thought it was wonderful.

Up in the sky, Hiccup was just Hiccup – with no fancy titles or high expectations. Back on the solid ground, he was nothing but fancy titles and high expectations. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, an apprentice, a prince, the future king of Berk, the future of Berk. _He would be as great a leader as his father,_ some had the nerve to say.

Except he wouldn't be, that he was certain of and so was his father, too. During the twenty long and tiresome years of trying to live up to his father's expectations, he hadn't made much progress. It wasn't that they didn't get along – they had things to talk about and they could avoid awkward silences when having supper. They just didn't see eye-to-eye in the slightest bit when it came down to the important stuff such as decisions. While Stoick the Vast, the current king of Berk, valued things like strict rules, power and image, Hiccup had his greatest interests in the use of brain, justice and fairness. Where Stoick saw hopelessness, Hiccup saw possibilities. Where Hiccup saw hopelessness, Stoick saw things gone according to plan. It was an endless cycle of disagreements, and it had never been easy.

It was hard to believe they were related by blood; they didn't look anything alike. Stoick was a large man with a lot of facial hair, whereas Hiccup was lanky and thin as a plank and his entire being was just awkward. The only thing that was there to resemble their father-and-son relationship was their mutual love for extreme stubbornness; neither of them gave up easily. And if there was one thing they had in common, it was the desire to protect the kingdom and its people. It was just the methods of doing it that made them have a go at each other at least three times a week.

Hiccup did try his best to please his father. Every day he had fighting practice and he had won all tournaments since he turned 17 (which might have been because none of the knights wanted to see the consequences if they didn't let the prince win; a royalty losing to a knight would "bring shame upon the royal family", according to Stoick's beliefs). He and Toothless were unbeatable in the sky and the Night Fury's plasma blast was the most vicious weapon in the kingdom's arsenal. Hiccup even attended every meeting they had with other kingdoms and, on top of that, he had promised to marry Princess Arleigh of Olissa to ensure that Berk's future would be safe, and he hadn't ever even seen said princess. Hiccup didn't have the slightest clue when they would have to tie the knot, but he sure did hope it wouldn't happen soon; as cliche as it might sound, he wanted to marry someone he loved, and maybe when he was at least five years wiser. But he knew such promises made the King happy, which was the exact reason why he had made it in the first place.

But was that enough? No, it wasn't. Whenever the lanky boy was doing something his father didn't approve of, there was this hopeless and empty look on his face, as if his son was fatally ill and he was just watching him fade away. When Hiccup realised that there was no way for him to change this, thanks to their different ways to see the world, he just focused on training Toothless and for the tournaments – the only two things he knew his father was proud of about him.

After his daily flying session with Toothless, he knew nothing could make him feel gloomy for a while. Someone could drop the most dreading news on him this right second, and he would keep on smiling. However, he hoped no one would put that to test, as he often found his thoughts about himself not colliding with the reality, and the chances of his mood being ruined by a piece of bad news actually existed. As he walked towards the stables with his dragon on the kingdom grounds, a lot of the villagers bowed down or curtsied to him as a way of greeting and showing respect. Some of them said something like "Your Highness" or "Your Majesty", and all Hiccup could do was give them a small nod and keep on walking. There was a rule the king had once told him: never get down to the villagers' level or they start to treat you like an equal. This basically meant that there should be no talking to them or signs of caring. It was something Hiccup had been doing since he began to understand his father's thick accent, so he just kept doing it and never questioned it.

When close to the stables, he saw Fishlegs, his very own servant. The boy must have known he would be flying, which would explain why he was already waiting for him to return. Without exchanging a word, Hiccup gave him his helmet and walked into the stable where all of the dragons of the royal family were kept. As much as Hiccup would've loved it, Toothless wasn't allowed inside the castle, so he had to keep the dragon in there. The stable was really noisy, with all those people that were taking care of the other dragons. The foul smell that was present in the stables made Hiccup block his nostrils with his fingers every time he entered. How the dragons were fine with living here, he had no clue.

"Did you enjoy your flight, Sir?" he heard Fishlegs ask right behind him.

"Yes, it was refreshing, and I was able to clear my thoughts," he answered tersely.

In the part of the stable where Toothless was usually kept, there were very few workers. Once they saw Hiccup, they bowed down or curtsied to him. In Stoick's, and therefore also Hiccup's, eyes, the stable workers were on a higher level than the common villagers since they had been granted a job within the castle, so he greeted them with a friendly wave before he spoke.

"I'd appreciate it if you left me, my dragon and Fishlegs here alone. And no one's to enter this part of the stables unless I say so." He got silent agreements in response and one by one, they left the smallest part of the stable and soon there were only the three of them left. Hiccup let out a long, content sigh.

"Perfect. Now, let's get to work."

By that he meant that Fishlegs would sit on a hay bale and keep Hiccup some company as the prince took care of Toothless. It was a secret between them – only when there were other people around, Fishlegs played a role as his servant, but once they were alone, Hiccup would do all the work. This was another thing where he and his father didn't see eye-to-eye; Hiccup didn't understand why he should be doing absolutely nothing just because he happened to be called Prince Hiccup. He despised the feeling of being useless, and he was able to avoid that feeling by doing some of the work. He would never, ever wash his clothes though, that was where he drew the line.

Apart from Toothless, Fishlegs was Hiccup's only friend, and the truth coming clear would mean his friend losing his job, so he was eager to keep this secret, a secret.

Hiccup took the saddle off his dragon's back and examined it for a while until he decided it needed some waxing. He made a mental note to remember to do that after he had finished taking care of Toothless.

"How are you feeling about the–"

"Fishlegs, for the love of Thor, can we talk about something else?" Hiccup interrupted and gave a glance at his friend's direction. Seeing his puzzled face, he rushed to explain himself. "I am in a really good mood and talking about this evening won't do any good. I'll deal with it later."

"If you say so…" Fishlegs said, not sounding confident at all. "I thought the revenge was what you wanted, too," he added emotionlessly. It felt strange to hear Fishlegs – the guy that was enthusiastic about everything – speak so half-heartedly.

"Of course I do, I probably want it as much as Dad does. But planning the attack and thinking about it will make me angry and restless, and I'm very content with the state my mind is in right now, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as I can."

On the western side of the great lands, there was another kingdom, Briral. It was almost as magnificent as Berk and it had the best knights known in the country, which made them nearly invincible. For as long as anyone could remember, Berk and Briral had been at war with each other and peace never seemed to heave in sight. They no longer knew the reason behind the hatred, but the pride that both kingdoms carried on their shoulders prevented either from making peace. Briral was always planning attacks on Berk, and Berk was glad to return the favour. A week ago, the kingdom of Briral managed a surprise attack and they took most of Berk's dragons. Those horrifying, fire-spitting creatures were the best weapon any kingdom could've asked for, and it was only a matter of time that the word about Berk being in a vulnerable state would start spreading and other kingdoms would fix their eyes upon Berk. Stoick, and Hiccup too, were furious about the loss of their dragons and they wanted them back as soon as possible.

"Don't you want war?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs after a short silence. In Berk, war was an honourable thing – something you had, to protect the people. Being afraid to fight was considered a weakness and it usually granted a one-way ticket onto the other side of Berk's walls. He began his walk to the basket full of fish when his friend spoke.

"You know I don't. There should be another way to deal with your animosity. Shedding the blood of your enemies isn't the right way to come about peace," Fishlegs responded to Hiccup's back as he bent down to take some fish from the basket. His friend's reply made him stand up and turn around to face him. That was the exact answer Hiccup had expected to hear, and most times the prince would have agreed with Fishlegs, but lately the prince had seriously begun to reconsider his way of looking at things. When they took their dragons, Briral had once again proved to be a power-hungry and selfish kingdom and having people like that next-door would never result in anything good.

He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. "I know, Fishlegs, I know. But," he began, had a pause and continued with another sigh. "This isn't about making peace. Briral is a kingdom of foul playing, they seek nothing but power. We can't just start acting like a bunch of princesses and let them take over our kingdom. We need to protect our people, and fighting back is the only way."

Hiccup turned his attention back to the basket of fish just as Fishlegs made an I-disagree-with-you-but-I-won't-even-bother-arguing-with-you face at him, so he completely missed it.

Hiccup and Fishlegs had been friends for a couple of years. Hiccup was 15 back then, Fishlegs wasn't entirely sure about his own age because he hadn't been in contact with his parents since he was five, so he had lost track in time, but he was around Hiccup's age.

Their friendship was a unique one. The prince used to treat him like a servant, only speaking to him when he needed to put on his armour, or it needed polishing; the circle of superiority that surrounded Hiccup had managed to corrupt his mind and he thought Fishlegs wasn't worthwhile. With time, he started to realise how great a person his servant was, and how wrong it was for the Prince to treat him like he wasn't worth his time. Damn, before Hiccup had learned some basic skills himself, like waxing Toothless' saddle or getting into his armour by himself, he had been completely dependent on the help of Fishlegs. He had begun to treat Fishlegs better, and soon they developed a friendship. Somehow one thing led to another and now they were at the point where Hiccup demanded that he'd do all the work when they were alone. Fishlegs had hesitated and told him that it wasn't his responsibility to do the "dirty job", but Hiccup had taken advantage of his royal title there.

_"I am your future King, and my command for you is to do what I say, so you'd better obey the orders I'm giving you," he had told his friend with a huge grin on his face, knowing he had won the argument._

Hiccup picked a few fish from the basket and walked back to his dragon. Toothless let out a satisfied growl as he saw the fresh fish in his best friend's hands and wolf downed them. Both Hiccup and Fishlegs silently watched as the dragon ate the very last bit of the fish, and with that Hiccup finally spoke again: "But once I am King, I am sure the situation will change."

"You mean you'll try to make peace with Briral?" Fishlegs asked with a hint of hope in his voice.

Hiccup let out a dry laugh as he turned to face his friend once more. "Oh no, Fishlegs. Once I am King, I will make sure I'll finish what the current King and the previous ones didn't manage."

"So you mean…"

"Yes. I might have had a similar opinion with you a while ago, but Briral's recent actions have changed my mind. You see, no one takes our dragons without consequences, and I am an unforgiving person. I will not rest until Briral is down, once and for all."


	2. The Plan

**Thank you for your follows, favourites and reviews! Seeing them made me so happy! Here's the 2nd chapter, I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Although Hiccup did want revenge, he wasn't exactly happy about planning attacks. Mostly because there hadn't been a single time when Stoick and the knights hadn't revealed the blood-thirsty side of their minds, which never failed to change the atmosphere. Hiccup loved to use his brain and enjoy some peace and quiet while his mind was working on a plan, and he just despised how all that relentless shouting across the table and the aggressiveness had him doing and feeling the very same. He liked things like this calm, but the others didn't leave much room for that.

On his way to the great hall, with Fishlegs walking behind him, he could already feel the nervousness building up inside him. Apart from the guards standing still, the castle corridors were rather silent and isolated, which didn't seem to help his nerves at all.

"When we are in the hall, is there anything you want me to do, Sir?" Fishlegs asked in that professional voice he used only in public.

Hiccup made a face at the title. It felt so weird to hear his friend call him that, especially after spending so many hours being on first-name basis. Even though they could speak like friends now, and he could just order anyone to forget they had ever heard anything and that they shouldn't tell a soul about it, he still didn't want to take risks; if his father started to suspect anything, Hiccup's orders would be close to nothing if Stoick wanted someone to speak up. Nobody could be punished for following King's orders, even if it meant breaking the prince's orders. This was definitely a downside, and Hiccup didn't like how many things he had to keep hidden from everyone for this reason. He didn't want to know what Stoick would do if he ever found out that his son had sunk so low that he had befriended a servant, or worse, found out that said servant had been slacking off. He did know it wouldn't be anything pleasant, and Stoick would most likely make sure that his son's next servant would be as much fun as a headache to avoid such embarrassments from ever occurring again.

"No, not really, just be out of the way I guess," he finally responded.

"Yes, Sir," Fishlegs replied and silence fell between them once again. It always felt unnecessary to have a conversation in the corridors because they couldn't be themselves, so they didn't usually talk much. On top of that, Hiccup felt terrible for making Fishlegs treat him like they weren't equals. He often tried to tell himself that Fishlegs was, after all, his servant and it was part of that position, but at times he still felt like he wasn't a proper friend. Truth be told, he had never had any other human friends so he didn't have anything to compare himself with, so it was impossible for him to confirm how good of a friend he truly was.

After a few minutes, they were close enough to the great hall to hear some indistinct muttering, and from the sound of it, it was clear to Hiccup that they had already begun the planning. The sudden, aggressive uproars that came through the closed doors made the prince believe that so far their plans would be something as constructive as "let's just attack them and take all our dragons!". Once he and Fishlegs were at the large wooden doors, the guards opened them, and they revealed a mess to say the least. Stoick the Vast was standing and leaning onto the table on which Hiccup assumed there was a map, and on the right side of the king there was Gobber, his advisor. Some of the knights were around the table, too, but there were some that were pacing and shouting at each other just for the joy of it.

He then realised he had stopped in the middle of the doorway and the guards were still glued to the heavy doors. Without saying a word, he moved forward with Fishlegs at his heels, and soon he heard the doors slam shut. He quickly exchanged a knowing look with his friend that made a move towards the other end of the hall where Stoick's servant was already observing the scene before him. Hiccup almost wanted to be in Fishleg's position right now, to be just an observer with no expectations, responsibilities and whatnot. He didn't want to start shouting like those knights that were now throwing insults at each other.

The king noticed his son's presence almost instantly and for a moment he paid all his attention to Hiccup.

"I wasn't expecting you to be this late," he said bluntly. The hall was so big and spacious that the words echoed around the room a bit. The sound of the king's voice made everyone fall quiet within the great hall and the silence made Hiccup aware of the fact that his ears were ringing.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Dad, I must've lost the track of time," Hiccup said, to which Stoick replied with a grunt. The truth was that he was just avoiding this meeting for as long as he could.

Even though he did want to participate in the planning process, he just _despised_ the company he had to do it with. He would've preferred to go through all the possible plans with Stoick and Gobber and then just tell the knights the final plan, but the king thought that the more people make the plan, the better. Of course, not all knights of Berk were given the honour to participate, it was just the ones that had truly proved themselves worthy of the king's trust. In Hiccup's, and definitely only Hiccup's, opinion, the king should have also ruled out the ones with non-existent temper.

"What have you come up with?" Hiccup asked as he made his way to the table. He tried to examine the map that was spread wide open, but realised it was rather hard to read it upside-down, so he quickly walked to his dad's left side.

"Not much, Sir. But we have decided that we're going to surprise them and attack in a way they'd never expect us to," Gobber answered excitedly.

Hiccup's brain was already overworking. "On the ground," he said instantly.

"And from the air," Stoick said. "First, we will attack with our dragons, and then we'll surprise them with an army of a thousand men, that's–"

"The last thing they'll expect," Hiccup said enthusiastically. "That's a brilliant idea."

"We know," Stoick agreed. "But do not interrupt your king," he added sharply.

"My apologies, My Lord," the prince said with an eyeroll that his dad fortunately missed.

"I say we should attack by dawn," one of the knights shouted from somewhere. His comment earned a rather loud response from the other knights and Hiccup couldn't tell what they were saying. He looked up at his dad and saw that he was clearly starting to lose his temper.

"We cannot possibly do that," Gobber answered for the king. "We're not prepared enough to go to war yet. We must wait at least two days."

None of the knights said anything to that, so Hiccup saw his opportunity to move the focus back onto the plan that still had a lot of holes to be filled.

He cleared his throat to make sure people were listening. "I think the army should attack from the mountains that surround the left side of Briral; they won't be able to see us before it's too late for them to react. It is a tricky place to get to, but not impossible if we ride horses."

"But even with horses, that's at least a two-day route, Sir. That mountain isn't so easily crossed," one of the knights by the table said. "We should carry a lot of supplies with us so that the knights are strong enough to fight in the war."

"I am aware of that, but it's the only route I can think of that would take them by surprise because they know how difficult it is to travel on the mountain. There's no water area large enough to reach Briral, so we cannot attack from the water."

"Prince Hiccup is definitely onto something," another knight said. "It doesn't matter how hard the route is, we must find the strength within us to pull through."

From the corner of his eye, Hiccup could see Stoick's mouth spread into a satisfied smile; that kind of spirit was what he looked for in a knight of Berk.

As Hiccup observed the knights standing before him, he noticed glimpses of fear and uncertainty in some of them, and the others seemed rather excited about what was coming. The prince did understand why not all of them were so convinced about the plan. None had ever done anything like that before – there had always been dragons to fly on, every single attack had always been from the air and there had never been a time when they would've had to travel for two days. Now, with most dragons gone, there wouldn't be enough for even half of the knights. Hiccup knew that all of them, himself included, would do about anything to have their revenge, and they would do anything to have their beloved dragons back.

"Good job, son," the king said and tapped his shoulder a few times with his massive hands. "This is what we'll do; we will start preparing for the attack immediately and leave as soon as possible. We have no time to waste, it's already been seven days and I cannot wait to see the filthy faces of the Hoffersons once again."

The last bit got the knights shouting excitedly, and the great hall was back to being a mess. Hiccup was so ready to leave, but he knew his father wouldn't allow it and if he tried to sneak out, Stoick would probably put him in one of the cells for the night and he wasn't up to find out if his assumption held any truth. So, he just kindly stood by the table and tried to look like he was enjoying this supremely loud crowd of Berk's knights before him.

Once they were out of the hall about an hour later, Hiccup felt angry, exhausted and like he had just been in a hearing. Yet all he wanted was to do something to use the last bit of energy that there still was in his body. He wanted to go for a ride on Toothless.

"Can you imagine," Hiccup began once he and Fishlegs reached his room, "that for once they actually took my word for something and they didn't question my knowledge of the map."

"Maybe you've proved them that you know the map by heart and that you know what you're talking about," Fishlegs suggested as he closed the door. He didn't go any further into the room as they both knew he wasn't staying long; he stopped being Hiccup's servant every day after supper (which the prince had gladly skipped tonight due to the loss of appetite), so he was no longer required to stay in the castle until the next morning.

"Maybe," Hiccup said, sat on his bed and was silent for a moment. "I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

"If I was so late for the meeting, why hadn't they come up with anything? That route was such an obvious choice, and knowing Dad he must've seen it the second he laid his eyes on the map, so why hadn't they?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "Perhaps he's just giving you a chance to prove yourself to him, and to see if you will be able to rule the kingdom. Not that it wasn't already obvious, I know you'll be a great king," he said, adding the last part hastily.

"I don't know, Fishlegs, my father isn't the type to give people chances, they have to prove themselves to him without him giving them a chance for it. I don't see how I would be any different."

"Well, all those people won't be the future of Berk, and none of them will be a king – in this life at least – so I think there are a lot of things that make you different from them. I can't know for sure, but if it bothers you, I don't think you should just blindly shut this option out."

Hiccup didn't say anything to that. He just stared his friend for a moment before dropping his gaze to the floor and letting it take in all the details on it. Berk was a wealthy kingdom, and the castle really lived up to any visitor's expectations; there were decorations on the walls, the floor, the ceiling – everywhere. The castle had been untouched for hundreds of years and it was remarkable how great a condition everything still was in, despite all the attacks on Berk along the years. Anyone would be proud to call this their castle.

Hiccup then remembered his desire to fly on his dragon, so he stopped staring at the floor and looked at Fishlegs instead. He tried to sound as pleading as possible as he spoke: "Could you do me one last favour before you're all free to go?"

"And what is that?" he asked suspiciously. Hiccup had a feeling that his friend already knew what he was going to ask, though.

"Can you cover for me as I sneak out to fly on Toothless? I need to let some of this stress out."

"Well, I don't really have an option here, do I?"

"You're right, you don't," the prince answered with a grin. Not that he would actually do anything if Fishlegs said no.

Fishlegs observed him for a few seconds before sighing and shaking his head amusedly. "With pleasure," he finally said.

"Thanks, Fishlegs! I owe you one," Hiccup said happily as he stood up with a jump. He took the chest where he kept his flying equipment underneath his bed and lifted it up.

"I think you've said that every time I did this for you, and I still haven't gotten any reward," his friend said jokingly.

"One day I'll pay you back, seriously. I'll give you a day off. Or even two! But I can't promise more because that would be too weird. Princes aren't supposed to give their servants long breaks. You won't have to come to the war with me, how does that sound? You never liked wars anyway," Hiccup blabbered. He usually talked a bit of nonsense when he was really excited about something, this time the something being the upcoming flying session. "Anyway, I'll figure something out. But now I'll have to hurry before it gets too dark. See you tomorrow and thank you once more!" he added as he opened the door and entered the corridor, leaving Fishlegs alone in his room.

Even though the meeting had got him feeling a bit gloomy, he had to admit it had gone surprisingly well. And the fact that they, or he, had come up with a great plan made him even more anxious to have his revenge on Briral and the Hoffersons most of all. They'd have their dragons back in no time, he was sure of that.


	3. The Mysterious Girl

**Thank you for all the reviews and favourites again! You're all so kind :)**

* * *

Flying sessions that took place in the evening were among the very best things to exist in Hiccup's opinion. Since it was Autumn, they didn't have to be out for very long before the sun had set and everywhere became dark – the prince couldn't see far with his bare eyes, which was why he had to use his other senses to be aware of the surroundings. Evening was also the safest time of the day to fly for a prince. Thanks to his one-of-a-kind Night Fury, they were completely invisible in the sky; if no one knew he and Toothless were up there, no one would ever find out.

It was warm even though they already were over a month into Autumn, so the breeze that brushed his bare hands didn't leave his fingers numb from the cold. The relaxing atmosphere of flying helped Hiccup clear his thoughts and now he barely remembered why he was so stressed before. There just was something about soaring the night skies that simply suited him. Only if he could stay here forever...

Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts as he realised his dragon had noticed something on the ground; the Night Fury had become restless and was constantly looking down instead of forward, trying to locate something. The prince squinted his eyes, attempting to see it, but he soon came to notice it was no use – it was way too dark to see anything from up here. Being a very curious person, he could not possibly ignore whatever Toothless had spotted, so he gave the dragon a sign to go down, and the Night Fury was happy to act on it. The closer they got to the ground, the more clearly Hiccup could hear something that reminded him of a dragon's screeching, but it couldn't have possibly been that. They were so far from Berk that it'd be impossible for someone to be here, especially when he was the only one to have a bad habit of going on forbidden flying sessions. These creatures didn't simply wander around free either, for the dragon trainers had weekly trips to the nearby forests in hopes of finding a new dragon to train for Berk's army. It had to be some other animal that just made similar noises to dragons.

Once they reached the ground, they landed with a silent thud. Hiccup climbed off Toothless' back and his feet hit the grass. They were at the edge of a forest that the prince had faint memories of from the maps that Berk kept in the chambers. He knew the risks of going into the woods, and he was aware that whatever was out there could be a trap. Some nasty Briralian could have somehow spotted them in the sky and now they wanted him and Toothless dead. From the corner of his eye, he could see the black dragon moving his head from side to another trying to locate the origin of the screeching sound. It sounded like the creature was crying for help or that it was in a lot of pain. Actually, it was a combination of both.

They entered the forest. Hiccup could feel adrenaline run through his veins, and his heart had begun beating really fast. He couldn't help feeling excited about this little adventure.

"That poor thing can't be too far, it's becoming more and more distinct," Hiccup muttered to Toothless that let out a gentle growl as response. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to help that animal, especially as he didn't have the slightest idea what kind it might be. It didn't matter if it were a dragon, he would still be clueless as to what to do to help. He had befriended and trained Toothless a long time ago, but since Stoick had made sure to have tons of dragon trainers in their midst, he never got a chance to train another dragon. He didn't know how they differed from species to species. And he still couldn't be certain that this all wasn't just a trap.

So many things could go wrong as he got closer and closer to the sound, but the prince didn't care; the curiosity had taken the better of him. He told himself that he had a Night Fury that could disappear into the night by his side, and that he could leave really fast if it didn't happen to be some kind of an animal.

Among the screeching noises, he suddenly heard a very panicked human voice. So there already was someone trying to help the poor thing? Hiccup frowned in confusion. Toothless had started to let out deep and muffled growls and the dragon rider had to hush him – he didn't want to be seen before he had observed the scene himself so that they could leave safely if need be.

In no time, they were so close that Hiccup could tell that the human was a female, and that the creature indeed was a dragon. They were on a clearing, and the girl was clearly trying to get the dragon in her control, but the reptile wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Hiccup found a large bush behind which he and Toothless hid themselves to follow the scenery.

"Easy now, easy," the girl cried out in frustration, "what's wrong with you?!"

Every inch of Hiccup's body wanted to go there and try his best to calm the dragon down, but his brain told him to stay put for a while to see if the girl could work it out herself. A minute or two passed by but no progress was seen. The girl grew more and more desperate after each failed attempt to get closer to the dragon, so Hiccup decided it was time to offer her a helping hand.

"You stay here, bud," Hiccup told Toothless in a loud whisper. The dragon didn't look pleased with his orders, but he stayed put. He was about to take off his helmet until he realised it'd be safer for him if he kept it on. He shouldn't rule out the possibility that it could still be a trap and learning his identity would make them act quicker.

"You alright there, miss?" Hiccup shouted over the dragon's screaming. The girl spun around to face the prince and he could see he had nearly frightened her to death.

It took her a short moment to collect herself before she spoke. "I am, but my dragon… something's wrong with her and she won't listen to me! She has never been like this with me," she said desperately, flailing her hands on her sides.

"Did you just say that dragon is yours?" he asked, not quite believing that. How could someone own a dragon if they didn't know how to handle it?

"Yes, but that's not the point," the girl snapped, both frustrated and angry. "I really need to know what's bothering her, she…" The rest of her sentence was silenced by her dragon. Hiccup raised his gaze from the girl to the dragon. It was really dark and it was almost impossible to see anything, but he was determined to try.

"What was she doing right before she started acting like this?" the prince asked.

"I'm not sure, I was just looking away and the next thing I know, she's acting like this," she replied. "I figured she might have hurt herself or something."

"That is very likely, yes," Hiccup said absent-mindedly as he was trying to examine the dragon with all he got. He would really have some use with the light of Toothless' plasma, but it was essential to keep his identity secure; he was known for owning the very last Night Fury, and he couldn't still trust the stranger that was standing right beside him although he had concluded by now that her intentions weren't malicious. He knew that if that dragon suddenly fired at them, Toothless would waste no time in jumping out of his hiding place to come defend him so he needed to act quickly.

"But when she's acting like this, there's no way for me to get to her. Maybe your dragon's presence might help?"

At that moment, Hiccup was thankful he had decided to keep the helmet on so the girl couldn't see the face he made at that suggestion. "And what makes you think I have a dragon?" He tried to sound casual, but he was pretty sure anyone would've noticed the hint of surprise and panic in his voice.

"I'm not an idiot, you know. People don't just wander around in a suit like yours if they haven't a dragon. I was just wondering if –"

"No," he said harshly. "And no more questions about my dragon. Which doesn't exist."

The girl didn't say anything to that, but he could feel her eyes on him. To escape the possible flood of questions, he took a few steps closer to the girl's dragon that was now about a hundred feet from them. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he really wanted to help the poor thing as she was clearly in a lot of pain. It wouldn't hurt to try the same techniques he had used with Toothless when he was 15, at least he really hoped so.

"Hey there," Hiccup began, soon realising how dumb that must have sounded, but he kept on repeating it in the most mellow voice he could possibly use. He hoped it wasn't his imagination, but after a little while, the dragon seemed to have calmed down a little as she was no longer screeching so loudly. "It's fine, you don't need to be afraid of me. I'm just going to see what's hurting you."

She was definitely _listening_ to him. The dragon had stopped pacing around hysterically and it seemed like she was paying close attention to what he was saying. Hiccup swallowed around the huge lump in his throat. When he was close enough to the dragon, he stretched out his hand, dropped his gaze to the ground and just waited. It felt like forever, and the pained voices that the poor reptile let out every once in a while made the tension grow bigger. Then he felt the dragon's snout on his palm, and he felt surreal. It was an instant throw-back to the moment he had bonded with Toothless and he had thought he'd never get to experience that sensation again.

He startled as he suddenly heard the girl's voice from behind him. "I think I should continue from here, she doesn't really approve of strangers touching her." The prince hadn't had a clue that the girl had been following his footsteps all along. Without saying a word, he took a few steps backwards and followed the unknown girl with his gaze. Hiccup's head was still buzzing, and his adrenaline in his veins was now sky-rocketing. The girl walked next to her dragon and began speaking to her, and the reptile instantly appeared to recognise her voice. The dragon let out silent groans every now and then, which confirmed that she was still in pain when the girl began examining her from head to toe.

"Did you find anything?" the prince asked loud enough for the girl to hear him. She had bent down and she was staring at the dragon's hind legs.

The girl stood up but her eyes were still fixed on the legs. "Dragon hunters," she said emotionlessly. "She has stepped on a trap and hurt her leg, it's bleeding."

When she finally looked at Hiccup, he saw the anger and disgust in her eyes. Hiccup said nothing. It was true that there were still some kingdoms around them that hadn't taken dragons in with open arms like Berk had done, and they still hunted these poor creatures, but it would've been odd for them to be setting traps this close to Berk. A more reasonable explanation was that the dragon trainers of Berk had just forgotten the trap laying around.

He decided on staying silent though, because his dad had once taught him that a royal should never speak badly of his kingdom. And it might be that this wasn't even the trainers' doing, so there was no reason for him to make the girl despise Berk. Not that it would matter though, the stranger was probably a nobody anyway so her opinions on things would have no value anywhere.

"How bad is it?" he eventually asked.

"I think we will manage. It doesn't seem terribly bad and we shouldn't be that far from home."

Hiccup tried to think of some village that would be close by, but couldn't come up with any. Another short silence fell, but it was soon broken by the girl that was now approaching the prince.

"Hey, thank you for helping me get closer to her. How did you do it? I mean, I've never seen anyone form a bond with a dragon that fast, and my dragon is very sensitive to new acquaintances. I've never had to go through anything like that before, and this evening flight was just a stupid whim of mine. I clearly shouldn't have gone tonight."

Now as the girl was close to Hiccup, he noticed that she had blonde hair that she had braided and was now resting on her other shoulder. He couldn't make out the colour of her eyes, but that look of anger and disgust was no longer present in them. He also noticed that they were about the same height, which meant she was around his age. "I just had a feeling that was telling me what to do," he said. "Where do you live?" he asked out of curiosity.

The girl just looked at him, it was difficult to read her face. "That is not a concern of yours."

"So, you like to remain a mystery?" he asked teasingly.

"Actually, yes, that's exactly what I want. And you're hiding behind that suit yourself, so you're the one to talk."

She didn't sound angry, but the way she spoke made it clear to Hiccup that she didn't want to stretch this topic any further. Making her talk would have meant that he would've had to tell her something about himself, too, and even though he had already concluded that the girl didn't mean any harm to him, he thought it better to remain unknown.

"Touché," Hiccup said. "Are you sure you will be fine?"

"Absolutely," the girl responded with a ghost of smile on her lips. "It's not like you would be a great help with your non-existent dragon anyway."

It took Hiccup a good few seconds to realise what she had just said, to which he clumsily responded; "Yeah, right… non-existent."

The prince stared at the girl behind his helmet for a short while before he shook his head to no one in particular and headed towards Toothless.

"Hey," she began and Hiccup stopped walking. "Thank you, seriously. I appreciate your help."

"The honour was mine," he said over his shoulder and smiled even though the girl couldn't see it. He then exited the clearing and went to his dragon. He waited till the duo flew away before he and Toothless took off. It was already late, so they had to head back to Berk.

Hiccup wished the morning had never arrived, but it did. Too soon for his liking. He had only had a few hours of sleep last night, and when he was woken up by the cheerful Fishlegs at seven in the morning, he felt like death itself. The prince tried to get the very last bit of sleep and dived even deeper into his blanket, but it turned out impossible as Fishlegs was already opening the curtains to reveal the way-too-bright rays of the morning sun. He let out a groan and covered his eyes with his arm.

"Good morning," Fishlegs said happily. "Brought you some breakfast."

"Great," Hiccup replied with a raspy voice that didn't sound like his own. "What's in today's schedule?"

"Fighting practice and a dinner with the king. Oh, he said he wished you'd get better soon."

"What?" the prince blurted out, not quite following the conversation anymore.

"He was looking for you, so I told him that you were feeling ill and you had gone to see Gothi."

"Ill? Why would I be feeling ill? I'm fit as ever," Hiccup said. His arm was still covering his eyes and he hadn't moved an inch on his bed.

"It's what I came up with to cover up for you," his friend responded, not sounding sorry at all. "You didn't leave any requests as to what kind of a lie you wanted me to tell."

Hiccup finally sat up and scanned the room to find Fishlegs standing by the large windows. The sun made it impossible to see anything but the outlines of him. The prince sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I wish I hadn't gone."

He ended up telling Fishlegs everything about the mysterious girl and her dragon and how he had discovered the way to calm the dragon down. Of course, he wasn't sure whether it worked with all dragon species, but it had worked with that one and Toothless, so it was a start at least.

"And what part of your night made you wish you hadn't gone?" Fishlegs asked after Hiccup had told him the entire story. He clearly didn't understand where things went wrong.

"When I was on my way back to Berk, all I could think about was her. And it took me an hour to fall asleep because all I could think about was her. And now as I brought her up, she will probably be the only thing I am able to think about today, too. I don't understand why, there was nothing special about her."

"Maybe you're still fascinated by the experience you had with her dragon and you just associate her with what happened," Fishlegs suggested.

"I don't get fascinated by things, Fishlegs," Hiccup commented as if that was the most essential part of what Fishlegs had just said.

"Of course you don't," his friend laughed.

They were silent for a while. Hiccup was still sitting on his bed and Fishlegs stood by the windows. "Anyway, I will never see her again and I will surely forget about her once I get something more interesting to think about," Hiccup said, breaking the silence. That statement was directed mostly to himself and not Fishlegs. He finally dropped his gaze onto the untouched breakfast tray that laid on the small table at the end of the prince's bed. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he still reached out his arm to take the loaf of bread from the tray.

"I guess I will be off to do your laundry," Fishlegs stated and walked to the door to grab the basket. Hiccup just nodded as he bit onto the bread. "Don't forget your fighting practice, it starts in a moment."

"It starts when I decide to show up," the prince called out after him, but the door was already shut when he finished his sentence. He was left alone in his bedroom and the mere thought of having to get up and flinging his sword made him want to crawl back into the warmth of his blankets, and he felt how his eyelids felt heavier and heavier by the second. What finally got him up was his father's voice in his mind that started preaching about his responsibilities and having to be ready for anything no matter what, which in this case meant being ready to fling that sword even though every inch of his body was against everything that the term "fighting practice" stood for.

He slowly finished his breakfast and lazily stared at the armour he always wore to practice. Fishlegs had put it ready for him, all he would have to do was to put it on. It was supposed to be his servant's job to do it for him, but he didn't mind; after all, Fishlegs was already busy with all the other chores he had to do, like for example the prince's laundry.

He spent a few minutes putting the armour on while trying to convince himself that attending the practice would be worth it since a war was heaving in sight. He also knew that had he slept a few more hours, he would have a completely different attitude towards this entire thing. Giving his thoughts a deep sigh, he tightened the belt that was around his hips and left the room with all his thoughts on the upcoming practice, and the mysterious girl from last night was momentarily thrown into the furthest corner of his mind.


	4. Change in the Plan

**Guest**: It's possible you've read this story before! I used to have 8 chapters of this fic up over a year ago, but then life started giving me lemons, so I took it down so that writing this story wouldn't cause me more stress. But now I am back to business :P

Here's chapter 4! I hope you all like it!

* * *

Hiccup couldn't say the fighting practice went well at all. The knights had noticed that the prince wasn't in his best shape so they had toned their own performance down, but Hiccup was still struggling greatly. When he managed to block an attack from the front, he didn't have time to react to the attack from behind and he would have been dead approximately 50 times if he had been in an actual combat. He was tired; Hiccup felt like someone had given him sleeping drugs that didn't make him fall asleep but rather made him feel like he was constantly on the edge of doing so. His legs and hands weren't co-operating with his brain and every command that was sent from his head down to his body came with a 5-second delay. He hated every single decision he had made the previous night.

"I think that's enough for today," he said breathlessly. He was all sweaty and it wouldn't be long until he would start stinking, so he made himself a mental note to have a bath when there was enough time for that. The thought of attending the dinner with his father while smelling like dung made him flinch a little. He was so exhausted that he would gladly skip flying with Toothless today.

"As you wish, Your Highness," one of the knights responded and Hiccup could hear a few others mutter something in a tone that sounded like an agreement. The prince dropped his sword to the ground and stretched the muscles on his back.

"Are you feeling all right, Sir?" another knight asked. "The king mentioned that you were feeling ill last night."

Hiccup stopped stretching and looked at the knight with a puzzled expression for a moment. Then it hit him – Fishlegs. "Yeah, I'm fine now. Just a bit tired, I barely slept last night."

The knight just nodded, bowed down to him and left the training grounds along with the other knights. Hiccup was left alone on the tamped field, and for a short while his brain didn't seem to work and he just stood there. This was one of the many days that were here to remind him that late nights and early mornings clearly just didn't fit in the same sentence. Hiccup yawned and his brain finally managed to find some willpower to make his legs move. He really needed that bath to wake up.

The war was going to officially start tomorrow. They had enough horses and supplies for those that would be coming from the mountains and everything was ready for what lied ahead. On dragons, the journey would only take half a day, so those that were to ride one wouldn't have to leave until after two days' time.

Hiccup yawned again. Thank Thor the war didn't start today, he thought to himself.

As he walked, he observed the servants that were carrying heavy-looking wooden baskets somewhere. They all were heading in the same direction while talking to each other in hushed voices, some looking a bit worried, some wearing a neutral expression. From the looks of those baskets, Hiccup could only assume they were preparing the supplies for what was coming tomorrow. The Prince never had to worry about the preparation part – once a war was declared, it was the knights' responsibility to ensure that the servants would take care of the supplies. The only responsibilities that were left for Hiccup were extra fighting practices and not injuring himself before they were to leave for the battle.

It was only times like this when Hiccup realised how many servants they really had. Most of them worked where the prince never set his foot in willingly, such as the royal kitchen, so it was rare for him to see them around.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Fishlegs shout his name and he turned around to see his friend walk towards him whilst carrying a basket loaded with his clothes. "How was the practice?" he asked once he was close enough so he didn't have to shout.

"Could have gone better," Hiccup said gloomily, not liking this topic for a conversation at all. The people around them were too busy doing their own things that neither felt the need to act like they weren't friends.

"That's what you always say, so I'm sure it went splendidly," Fishlegs said happily and stopped in front of the prince.

"No, in all seriousness, it was a disaster. But please, let's not talk about it. How was your time with the laundry?" He started walking forward and he heard his friend follow him. There wasn't an immediate response from him which made Hiccup look over his shoulder, and he noticed that Fishlegs seemed to feel a bit uneasy at that question. The look on his face made the prince chuckle and smile. "What was so terrifying back there? Did the old lady give you hard time or what?"

"What? No, she did not. It's just… I heard people talk."

Now the prince turned around completely so that he was walking backwards and smiled at Fishlegs, looking amused. "So you've finally figured out why we have these holes on both sides of our head?" was his response and although he tried to make it sound like a casual question, there was too much mocking in his voice to succeed in that. There was no change in Fishleg's concerned face, so Hiccup figured it was something important and he turned grave as well. "Do tell."

"I will tell you once we are in the castle. Not wise to talk about it here when anyone can hear us."

The prince just nodded and apart from some greetings Hiccup had to give to some people they passed by, they walked to the castle in complete silence. He really wondered what was making Fishlegs this anxious. After what felt like ages, they finally were in the safety of the castle's stone walls and once they were in one of the least used corridors that led to the guest chambers, Fishlegs spoke.

"The plan has somehow spread around the kingdom."

"What?!" Hiccup exclaimed, surprise written all over his features. "How has that happened? Is there a traitor amongst us?"

"I don't know, but that wasn't the point."

Hiccup studied Fishlegs' face for a moment, waiting for him to elaborate, but when the prince realised that wasn't going to happen, he spoke: "If you're going to tell me that they criticised our plan, you must remember that their opinions on these matters are irrelevant."

"But they're scared. They don't trust the plan; they think it will just bring another war on us."

Hiccup frowned and he could feel annoyance and anger bubbling up inside him. It wasn't usual that the people of Berk dared to criticise the decisions the king had made, and he didn't understand why their people would have any say on this matter since they didn't know anything about wars or fighting or blood shedding. He sighed heavily, and managing to keep his voice steady and clear of anger, he asked: "How did you hear about this? Did someone just walk up and pour their heart out to you?"

"Of course not," Fishlegs replied impatiently. "They know who I am, and they would never tell me anything because they know I would report back to you. I was eavesdropping. They fear you're going to take some of Briral's dragons and Briral will be on us because of that."

Hiccup sighed again. "You do know that they will be on us no matter what we do in the war. If we don't take our dragons, they will try to snatch the rest of them from us in their next attack. If we take our dragons, they will attack us just for the fun of it. Neither Berk nor Briral will stop until the other surrenders and you know that very well."

Fishlegs let out a grunt in frustration and he dropped the laundry basket to his feet. The prince stared at it for a brief moment before he shifted his gaze back on his friend, looking at him questioningly. Hiccup couldn't read the expression on Fishlegs' face, but he could see that his friend wasn't happy at all. "So why are you suddenly against all of this? Yesterday you were all about supporting this plan and you told me it was a good one, or was all that talking just because for a second you had to treat me like a prince?" he asked. His voice came out much angrier than he had intended to, but he didn't attempt to correct his tone because anger was exactly what he felt. He knew this wasn't supposed to make him feel this way, but he didn't know how else to react. One can't just simply jump from an opinion to another like that, the only exception being Stoick who seemed to change his mind about whether his son would be a great king four times a week.

"I'm not against it, I'm just trying to look at this from your people's point of view. They have just settled down after the previous attack and they have repaired their homes, and now they know that in a matter of weeks it's all gone again. I live among them, and you can't even begin to comprehend how hard it is for them to rebuild when they haven't enough resources to do so."

"But there's nothing I can do to change things, Fishlegs," Hiccup responded tiredly and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he looked at Fishlegs, he saw a glimpse of sadness in his eyes.

"For years you've been telling me that you want things to change. You've told me that you are beginning to be tired of all that unnecessary grudge that there is between Berk and Briral. Has all that just been talking with no meaning behind it? I'm not saying that what Briral did is justified, but you could lead an example."

The prince didn't say anything to that for a while. He just stared at Fishlegs with a blank expression that reflected the emotions inside him. He hated how much sense there was to his friend's words when it felt like that nothing would make any difference. Of course, he wanted his people to be safe and he was tired of looking at the village and the marketplace of Berk when it was partially destroyed. Nobody liked that view, but it was unavoidable; the chances of Briral not coming after them were close to zero. On top of that, it would – hopefully – take years before he was the king of Berk, so what he did now would be long forgotten when he eventually sat on that throne that his father owned.

Fishlegs' face had suddenly changed drastically; the sorrow and frustration were now replaced by a look of fear. The prince's silence had apparently made him believe that he had gone a step too far and said too much.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup finally said when he knew what to say to his friend. He tried to smile, but it felt fake and it didn't reach his eyes. "I appreciate your concerns, but there's a small problem to me 'leading an example'," he air-quoted with his fingers, "and that problem is called Stoick. As long as he is King, there's absolutely nothing I can do to change the future. We want our dragons back, and the only way to do that is continue the animosity between Berk and Briral. I don't yet know what kind of Berk I want to rule when my time comes, but I still have time to think about that. Before I figure that out, I don't want to set any examples that aren't true to what and who I am."

Neither of them said anything. The silence was almost deafening, and it gave Hiccup too much time to realise how sleep deprived he was and how this conversation was beginning to tire him.

"Listen, I will think about this and try to come up with a solution. Now, kindly take my clothes and take them somewhere else," he said breaking the silence, and gently kicked the wooden basket with his other foot. "Please," he added.

Fishlegs just sighed, bent down to take the prince's laundry and left him without saying a word. Hiccup was left staring at his friend's back, frowning. It was rare that he had any kind of an argument with Fishlegs, mostly because they never wanted to disagree with each other.

He did understand why his people would fear the upcoming war, and he had an idea that it wasn't easy to return to normal lives once everything you owned was turned to ashes. But war was what happened frequently around here, their people were aware of that, so he didn't understand how this time was suddenly any different. Maybe they always felt like this before a war and talked about it, but there had never been anybody from the castle to hear them until today? Hiccup couldn't tell for sure, but what he could tell was this day wasn't going well at all.

He then could feel the dried drops of sweat on his forehead and he started to feel dirty again. He really needed that damn bath before his mind could spare any rational thought for the promise he had just made to his friend. He followed Fishlegs' footsteps out of the isolated corridor and headed towards his room, his mind completely drawn to the bath that was awaiting him.

Later in the evening, it was time to meet the king for the first time that day. It had been a while since they had dined together even though Stoick always tried his best to squeeze in as many dinners with his son as possible. The bath had woken Hiccup up and he had spent the rest of the day considering his options as to what to do with the promise he had made. It turned out there was close to nothing he could do about it, but he would have to try; he felt like he owed something to Fishlegs after all the lies he had had to tell to cover his nocturnal sneak outs, and this felt like a good way to make that up for him. At least he could say that he tried.

The guards in front of the heavy wooden doors opened them once they noticed Hiccup heading towards the Throne Room. As they were opened, the prince was greeted by two knights that were dragging an old woman by the arms. The woman seemed to have lost all her will to live as she was refusing to use her own legs and it looked like the knights were carrying a dead body with them. Hiccup only knew she was alive because of the silent sobs the woman let out and the fact that Berk would never disrespect a dead person like that. The prince frowned at the sight but didn't say anything, he just kept walking forward and followed the trio with his gaze until they were out of sight.

"What was the meaning of that?" he asked his dad the moment the doors to the Throne Room were shut again.

"She is being carried to the cells as we speak. She will be executed tomorrow morning," the king answered as he sat back on his throne.

"Why? What did she do?"

"She is accused of practising magic."

Hiccup's eyebrows were close to touching his hairline. He allowed himself a short moment before he spoke, "Dad," he began, "magic doesn't exist." He had a small pause between every word to ensure he put enough emphasis on all of them.

Stoick just let out a loud bark of laughter at that. "That's what we thought about dragons a couple years ago, too! The world has changed, Hiccup, we must be prepared for anything."

"But you cannot execute an innocent woman just because you want to be prepared for something that has the most minimalistic chances of existing."

"Do you really think I sentenced her to death with a light heart?" the king asked with a questioning and deep voice. It sounded like a threat to Hiccup.

"Of course not, My Lord," Hiccup answered hastily. "I just wish you would reconsider her sentence. Death is very final."

"So is my decision," Stoick replied sharply, leaving no room for any kind of discussion on this matter. "When you are the king, you will understand, I assure you."

"Right," the prince replied bluntly, not being in the mood to disagree with his father even further. He was expecting his answer to be followed by an awkward silence that would usually happen when he and his dad didn't agree on something, but the king spoke immediately.

"Let us go to the Great Hall, the dinner's awaiting us there."

"Brilliant. What's on the menu?"

"I can't say for sure, I made my serving boy decide on that as I had more important matters on my mind."

Hiccup had an inkling that would be a good thing, so he just nodded slowly at his father. They exited the throne room together and didn't speak a single word on their way to the Great Hall. So there that awkward silence was, the prince had started to wonder where it had gone to. They entered the enormous hall and there was a massive table full of a bit of everything waiting for them. The good thing about Stoick's servant was that he always went a bit overboard with everything to ensure the king's satisfaction. At first they dined while having some short-lived conversations about boring topics like paper work and the prince's fighting practice, but when there finally was a short silence, Hiccup decided to act on his small plan.

"Dad," he said to catch Stoick's attention. "I would like to discuss the attack. I think I should be the one to go and set our dragons free."

They stared at each other. "But that is a suicide mission," Stoick finally said in disbelief, his fork hanging in mid-air. "You shouldn't treat your life so recklessly. Let the knights do it."

"I know that I am more important and valuable for Berk than our knights, but please, hear me out. I have Toothless, we can become invisible and no one will be expecting Prince of Berk and his Night Fury to go on this mission. They won't be looking for us. Besides, I know every single dragon Briral stole from us, I will be able to tell them apart from Briral's own so we won't take any of their dragons, which would give Briral fewer reasons to attack us."

Stoick looked at him silently. His complete silence gave Hiccup a tiny boost of hope. "I could take our best trained knight with me if that would ease your mind." That wasn't part of his initial plan, but he thought one knight wouldn't do much harm.

"Where is all of this suddenly coming from?" Stoick asked suspiciously. "Is this your way to try to prove yourself to me?"

Hiccup's was about to say 'no' until he thought the better of it and decided to go with a lie instead. He tried to keep his face as serious as he could when he spoke: "Yes, that's what I thought. I felt like I haven't convinced you enough and I'd want you to see what I am capable of, and this would prove my bravery and selflessness."

The king chuckled. "You have already proven yourself many times when it comes to bravery and selflessness. It is the view you have of the world that concerns me. Haven't I taught you that Briral seeks nothing but power and if there's not a real reason to strike, they will find one. _'Briral would have fewer reasons to attack us,'_ what is this nonsense? Do you seriously think like that?"

"Yes."

Stoick let out a loud grunt and dropped his fork on the plate, placing his hand on his forehead. "I thought I had raised you better than that," he mumbled but it was loud enough for Hiccup to hear it. After a while, he turned his gaze back to his son and spoke, much louder this time. "I obviously cannot let you do this, you're way too young for a mission like that. And you just made it clear to me that your mind has not matured enough to make big decisions like that."

"But–," Hiccup began but the king beat him to it.

"This decision is final. You are dismissed, I have more important things to worry about."

The prince knew it was better to just walk out, for stretching this topic any further would do no good. He couldn't deny that his father's words stung a bit and they kept echoing in the back of his mind as he silently stood up and left the Great Hall although he hadn't finished his meal. On his way out, he spared a thought for the lady that was now in the cold cells and he felt utterly sorry for her.

He tried to tell himself that what Stoick had said wasn't true because Hiccup would have never suggested anything like that if he hadn't made that promise to Fishlegs. Not that he thought he couldn't do it, he knew that with Toothless pretty much anything was possible, but he knew how crazy the idea of going there alone was. Yet the conversation with the king made him feel like that was exactly what he had to do to convince his father that one day his son would be as great as him.

As Hiccup entered his room that was always guarded by two guards, he was greeted by Fishlegs' voice. He hadn't expected him to be here, so his heart skipped a few beats at the sudden sound. "How did it go?"

"Oh Thor, Fishlegs, why are you here?" Hiccup asked in a slightly high-pitched voice as the guards shut the door behind him. Hearing himself sound so weird, he coughed as if it would return his voice back to how it was supposed to be. "You're done for today, shouldn't you be heading home?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't have anything to do anyway so I thought I'd wait for you to return."

Hiccup shook his head, amused. "I swear you're obsessed with this castle."

"It's much better than the rickety hut I live in. Not that it's bad either, I never mean to complain," he said hastily but Hiccup raised his other hand in the air to silence him.

"Honestly, I don't care if you complain. We're friends, okay?"

Fishlegs mumbled something in response but the prince couldn't make out what he said. As Fishlegs got no response from him, he switched back to the original topic. "So, how was the dinner with the king?"

"A disaster to say the least." Hiccup managed to make it sound like he was telling the news about him having been forced to give up his throne. "And he has now started to accuse people of sorcery. What in the name of Thor has made him believe magic exists? And I am positive I will never figure out what I have to do to make my father permanently pleased with me. One day I make him proud but the very next he looks at me like something has gone terribly wrong with my entire being."

Fishlegs didn't say anything and Hiccup understood why; words of encouragement had never been his strongest point either. And Hiccup wasn't even looking for those because no words could make him feel any better. The truth was his father was an unsolved mystery to him, and he was an unsolved mystery to his father. There was never going to be harmony between them. The prince let out a deep sigh of defeat.

"He didn't warm up to my idea," he finally said. "He said that I made it clear to him that I am not mature enough to make big decisions."

"I'm sorry to hear that, I guess. I don't know what I should say here. It's my fault you even suggested it."

"It's not," Hiccup said firmly. "And it doesn't matter anymore because I already made up my mind and I will be the one to go and release the dragons."

Fishlegs raised his other eyebrow and stared at the prince for a second. "And how are you going to do that? You will have to stay by the king's side, leaving on the battlefield isn't as easy as sneaking out at night to ride on your dragon."

"I know, I haven't figured that part out yet, for I just made that decision a minute ago. I will probably just improvise as I go."

A part of him was doing it to try to make their people's lives a bit better, another part wanted to do it because he wanted to prove himself to his father. He wanted to show him what he was capable of, even if the king didn't approve of the way he was going to do that.


	5. Into the Battle

The day the dragon riders were to leave for the war was here. The atmosphere in Berk had been tense ever since the day the horsemen left, and Hiccup was sure that one more day of waiting would have made him explode, so he was more than happy about the fact that they would be leaving any moment now.

He had spent every moment he had had to spare to plan his escape from his father's side during the past few days. He knew it wouldn't be easy and the chances of him succeeding were slimmer than those of him failing; Stoick had clearly kept an eye on Hiccup after their last discussion about the attack, and the prince was sure that one way or another the king would keep on doing that in the battle. Neither Hiccup nor Stoick had spoken about the prince's absurd idea since that dinner a couple days back, but he wasn't foolish to think his father had forgotten about it, just as he knew his father wasn't stupid to think his son had forgotten about it either.

Hiccup did know that he was being a reckless idiot for wanting to do it. If he died, there would be no heir to the throne. The future of Berk was resting on his shoulders and the entire kingdom would be doomed if something went wrong in his attempt to release their own dragons. Even Fishlegs had told him many times that he didn't have to do it, but it wasn't that. He knew he didn't, but the thing was that he wanted to do. For whatever reason that was, to impress his father or to prove himself even though nobody asked for it, even he couldn't say for sure anymore. He just had taken his plans about twenty steps too far and he didn't want to take a single step backwards.

Hiccup leant onto a stone pillar that had held no purpose. There used to be a mighty building that was part of the castle, but it had been destroyed before the prince was born. He observed the scenario before him. Everywhere was a chaos with all those people running around and preparing the remaining knights for the battle; even the knights that were to stay in Berk to protect the people from possible attacks were helping the servants. That view was both odd and nice – on the one hand, it was unusual for the knights to get down to the servants' level, but on the other hand Hiccup was glad to notice that he wasn't the only one that was willing to do that. He had always felt alone on that part.

"Ready for the battle, huh?" he heard Gobber say from behind him. Without turning around, he mumbled something that sounded like a "yes". In fact, he wanted to leave so that he could only focus on what lied ahead; all this fuss within the kingdom was making him unnecessarily anxious, and he knew that whatever Gobber was going to say to him in an attempt to comfort him wasn't going to help him with his nerves. "We are more skilled than Briral, there's nothing you need to worry about."

"I'm not worrying. Well, maybe I am, but isn't that what you're supposed to do on the eve of battle? It's not like I'm happy about bringing danger upon our men."

He didn't want to voice his opinion on the knights of Briral. It had been proven long ago that they were the best around here, and that was the reason why they had managed to snatch so many of Berk's dragons in their last attack. It was true that Berk had the best trained dragons, but a good knight on a best-trained dragon was always worse than a best-trained knight on a good dragon.

"Worrying is not wise, it makes things twice as worse. You just got to go for it and hope not to lose your other foot," Gobber replied and gently kicked Hiccup's right foot with a chuckle, apparently thinking what he just said was funny.

"Ha ha, right," he said in a very unenthusiastic voice.

Hiccup looked at his father's advisor from the corner of his eye as he was now next to him. He seemed to be observing the prince very intently as if he was trying to look for some specific emotion or expression that would give away Hiccup's thoughts. However, Gobber didn't say anything, he just put his large hand on Hiccup's shoulder and gave it a gentle pat before the prince could hear his footsteps going in the opposite direction.

Hiccup stood there alone for a minute, just staring into nothingness until he decided it would probably calm his mind if he was around Toothless. He wasn't allowed to take care of his dragon today as too many people were busying around in the stables. That kind of activity would have been exactly what he would've needed to get his thoughts off everything that could go wrong in his not-well-thought-out plan, so being denied of that was just perfect. The damned rules. When he was King of Berk, the first rule that would be changed was the one that said anything about only stable workers being able to take care of the dragons.

Just as he was about to leave the stone pillar, he heard a familiar and friendly groan near him. He turned in the direction of the noise instantly and saw Toothless and Fishlegs.

"He wouldn't stop looking for you so I brought him here, Sir," his friend explained. "He's now prepared for the journey, I took care of everything."

"Thank you, Fishlegs," Hiccup said as he petted his dragon's chin while smiling fondly at him. This would be the first time Fishlegs wasn't going to be by his side in a battle; they had previously agreed on it being an action to make up for the sneak outs. Fishlegs wasn't particularly fond of fighting, so being granted the permission to stay away had been like a birthday come early to him. "I think you should leave now, wouldn't want you to hang around here when we leave, or they'll force you to come with me."

His friend just nodded. Before he left, he made sure Hiccup was listening to him and said: "Please, don't do anything you will regret, Sir."

The prince looked down at Fishlegs and flashed his teeth at him. "I won't. I hope we will still see each other after the battle. If we have luck, we'll be back in a couple days."

He received a very weak smile as a response before Fishlegs started his journey towards the castle. Being around Toothless instantly lifted up Hiccup's mood and the dragon seemed to be feeling the same as he had his tongue out and happiness was glistering from his eyes.

It wasn't long until everything was ready and the dragon riders could leave. Everyone got in their positions, with the king and the prince being in the front and Gobber right behind them, and the dragons seemed to be bursting from excitement. Dragons were intelligent animals, and they definitely knew some of them would be heading to their deaths, but they also knew that some of their friends were not in Berk and that they were about to go rescue them. There was nothing a dragon wouldn't do for another dragon. Toothless seemed eager to leave, too.

"I hope the others have made it successfully through the mountains. We'll be in a lot of trouble if such a large number of us won't be there to fight," Hiccup said to his father through his helmet.

"They will," Stoick said with such confidence in his voice that it made even Hiccup feel a bit surer about it. "Where's your serving boy?" he then asked out of the blue.

"He's… um… he got suddenly ill and he was not fit enough to join us today."

"You're letting him slack off just like that? The boy's clearly lying."

"No, father, he isn't. There were… um… red spots on his face and… I think there was pus coming out of them as well. He would've just slowed us down and gotten himself killed had he come."

Stoick looked at him for a moment before he spoke: "Fair enough. But I assume you made it clear to him that is no reason to not do his other chores."

"Of course I did. Why does this suddenly matter so much to you?"

Stoick didn't say anything at that as Gobber interrupted their conversation. He was probably the only person in this kingdom to have the right to speak over a royal – mostly because he never did it unless it was necessary. Hiccup, however, didn't hear what Gobber was telling his dad because of how loud it was around them. Whatever it was, it made Stoick correct his posture on his dragon and give his son a signal that told him they were going to leave right this second. Gobber gave the rest the same hand gesture and soon they all were in the air heading towards the kingdom of Briral.

Being in the air, at last, gave Hiccup the feeling he was hoping for; all the worries and sulkiness were left on the solid ground. Even through his armour he could feel the gentle pressure of air and he devoured the feeling. For a short moment, he completely forgot what their destination was. When he did remember, what was different was that he felt a lot surer about himself and his planned mission. He was in his element in the air and he just knew he would succeed even though the plan was far from flawless. His father would be so busy patrolling his surroundings that he wouldn't surely even notice Hiccup gone until it was too late for him to react.

Things would turn out just fine.

Almost no one spoke during the journey. Because Hiccup was in the front leading their army with Stoick, he couldn't see any of the knights, but he knew the silence caused tension within them. It would be easier to handle a situation like this if they talked with each other and joked around. However, the sad fact was that since Stoick uttered no word, barely anyone else dared to do it either. His impact was so great, and sometimes the prince wondered if it was actually something to be proud of. Would he want the knights to behave like this around him? Definitely not, but his father had made it clear he was not "mature enough to understand what it takes to be a king" so maybe he just didn't know.

The prince snapped out of his thoughts once he realised that Gobber was flying right next to him, observing him carefully once again. He, too, was covered in armour so Hiccup couldn't tell whether he was judging him or just… looking. Being allowed to fly in the same line with the royals was one of the many things only Gobber was allowed to do. The prince had always wanted to know why the king trusted his advisor like no one else, but then again, he did know that once he was a king, he would trust Fishlegs as much.

"We're nearing Briral," Gobber told him, his voice was loud enough just for Hiccup to hear him, "Are you prepared?"

Hiccup smiled weakly at that although he knew Gobber wouldn't see anything through the helmet. "I've been trained to be prepared for events like this ever since I learned to walk."  
Gobber didn't say anything, but the prince thought he probably let out a laugh or something like that. They remained silent for a little while until the advisor spoke again: "Just don't do anything stupid when we're there, will you?"

Hiccup snapped his head to Gobber's side and stared at him for a while before realising he was supposed to reply. He let out a half-nervous, half-faked chuckle, "Me? I would never."

It was sometimes creepy how well Gobber had learned to know him. They never spent much time together as Gobber was always busy with his duties to the king, but he had been around ever since Hiccup was born – getting to know Stoick's only child was unavoidable.

Now Hiccup wondered if his father was also suspecting him and made himself a quick mental note to observe the king for a while before it would be time for him to act.  
Gobber said something, but his words were muffled by the wind. The prince just shrugged to make it seem like he had heard what his father's advisor had said, hoping it would be a reasonable response to whatever it was.

Once Gobber fixed his gaze back on what was ahead of them, Hiccup did the same. They were really close to Briral and he was certain someone had already spotted them and passed the word on to the king of Briral. The area looked similar to that of Berk's. Looking at Briral was almost like looking at your home you had been gone from for years, then coming back to see nothing was like it used to be. It had been a strange and uncomfortable sensation during the first battles Hiccup had gone to, but he had learned to push it to the back of his mind by now.

The prince looked to his father's direction and saw that he was fully concentrating on Briral. He kept looking at him for a moment until he concluded that if the king did suspect him, either he had forgotten about it or was concealing it really well.

Stoick made a quick gesture which signalled all of them that they would start looking for a landing spot. They all knew it would have to be close to the mountains so that they would be able to see whether the horsemen had already made it to Briral. Hiccup just hoped that the long journey wouldn't tire them too much and that they were still fit to fight.

It didn't take them long until one of the knights found a safe area to land on. It was situated near the mountains as well.

"Lit the torch," the king ordered after every dragon had set their feet on the ground. A knight hopped off his dragon and took the torch he had been carrying. It took him but a few moments to lit it, after which he started flailing it. All of them turned their heads to where the mountains lied, curious to see whether they were ready for the battle. It was beginning to be dark and everyone was hoping to catch a sight of a lit torch on the mountains. Hiccup could feel the excitement starting to build up in him. He would give about anything so that he could go and free their dragons right now. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like revenge was the most important part, he knew that his task was going to be far more important than taking the lives of tens of people. He glanced at the knights and Gobber behind him, and a thought that this might be the last time he ever saw any of them crossed his mind. He had seen so much death in his life that being afraid of dying would feel silly. _No man is worth your tears_, was what Stoick had told him numerous of times. People would surely miss him, but they would live it down soon.

"They're there!" One of the knights shouted, sounding relieved, others started mumbling to each other as well. The prince fixed his eyes back on the mountain and saw the torch. Hiccup took in a sharp breath and he tightened his grip on Toothless' saddle. They were ready.

Stoick took a few steps forward with his dragon and turned to face all his men. The king had never been good with his speeches and he usually left them very short, and this time was no exception. "Fight with honour, to the death. I have faith in all of you, and you all have faith in each other. And most importantly; let us claim back what is rightfully ours."

The king's speech was followed by the knights shouting "long live the king" three times, after which they all set off again. Once they were in the air, Hiccup could see that those coming from the mountains had also started moving forward; for whatever reason, they were carrying a few torches that were lit. Those on dragons would arrive on the battlefield a bit later as travelling in the air was much faster, but that was part of their plan – Briralians would have no idea what to expect, at least that was what they all were hoping to happen.

They only had to fly for a short while until Hiccup could see knights on dragons coming towards them. He could feel his heart start beating faster and sense Toothless' restlessness. He quickly reached his hand out to touch the top of his dragon's head to calm him down a bit.  
The prince took a last glance at his father; he knew he would have to leave right before the dragons would begin aiming their fire at the riders of Briral. And that moment was right now. Toothless was aware of their plan so he didn't fire his plasma blast at all but was ready to make a quick turn instead. Hiccup kicked the black dragon's sides gently to signal him that they would have to act now. They soared higher. Maybe it was his imagination, but he heard his father yell after him, but he didn't dare look back. He had no time to waste – if the rest of the Briralians were informed about Hiccup's actions, he would be doomed.

Hiccup could hear that at least two dragons were following him, and according to the sounds their riders were making, they were not his allies. His assumption was proved by a blast of fire that missed them only by a few inches. Toothless was taken aback and he let out an annoyed screech. Since the night was already upon them, they could easily make the trip to their dragons faster by disappearing into the night. Hiccup also knew that if he were to kill the men that were chasing him, others would surely notice their bodies falling from the sky and come after him. So there really was no other option for them but to disappear and hope it would be enough.

"Okay, bud, let's show them what you've got," he told his dragon that responded with a deep growl. Toothless sped up and in the blink of an eye the two knights of Briral were nowhere to be seen. The prince smiled in victory. "Good! Now, let's stay hidden for as long as we can, can't risk anyone finding out we are here. We mustn't fly in the moonlight."

Toothless let out another growl that Hiccup knew to mean the dragon had understood him. The clanging sounds of swords, roaring dragons and the battle cries started to slowly fade and moment by moment they were less distinguishable against the wind that filled Hiccup's ears despite the helmet he was wearing.

After a while, they safely crossed the thick stone walls of Briral. He knew he never gave his dragon enough credit for being so amazing at disguising them – there had not been a single dragon or Briralian in their way, which only meant that their mission was going unnoticed so far. The realisation of that added more fuel to the prince's system and it sent an exciting sensation down his spine; each passing second he was closer to succeeding in his task, closer to getting their dragons back.

Hiccup had no idea where the dragon stables could be as he had never in his life been on this side of the kingdom of Briral. He could see some villagers screaming and running around as they tried to rescue the small property they had before the Berkians were on them. The sight made the prince feel a certain sadness inside him, but he quickly brushed it off and moved his focus back on finding the stables. It was challenging to see in the dark though, there wasn't a lot of light within the kingdom walls and only a few people were carrying a torch or some other light source. He couldn't land and observe from the ground either, the prince knew they would be seen the moment they set their feet on land. Hiccup let out a deep sigh.

Then Toothless saw something and made his owner aware of it by shaking his body furiously, making no sound. Hiccup located the spot his dragon was looking at and saw a building that had to be a stable. He could feel his insides turn upside down from the sudden burst of nervousness and excitement that he felt. There was no "next move" in his plan he had made beforehand, and now it would be the time to improvise. There were no people to be seen around the stables which alone grew suspicion in Hiccup's mind – why would they leave their dragons unprotected? They must have realised that those were the main reason why Berk was on them this time. Was it a trap?

The prince shook the doubts from his mind. There was nothing he could do about there not being anyone in sight, all he could do was to go in there and hope for there not to be a great abundance of Briral's knights. Toothless landed silently on the grounds behind the stable and Hiccup hopped off the black dragon instantly. He walked really slowly towards the front, and his left hand was on the handle of his sword, ready to take it out of the steel scabbard.

When he was at the corner of the stable, he looked over his shoulder to see how Toothless was doing. The Night Fury was turning his head in every possible direction and the prince could see the fury in his emerald green eyes. When the dragon realised he was being looked at, he locked his gaze with Hiccup's and they shared a knowing look. Hiccup jumped out of the corner and saw instantly about a dozen knights. For the briefest moment ever, he felt a relief wash over him; he was expecting to face much more than that. The feeling soon faded away as the knights started shouting and ran towards him. The prince took out his sword, and after that, all he could focus on was the sound of swords clashing against each other and not dying. Moments like this were the reason why Hiccup was eternally grateful for his daily training sessions, he had mastered the art of multi combat a long time ago and knowing that he actually stood a chance at winning was really comforting.

He knew Toothless was backing him up as he could see a few bodies of knights he hadn't even touched on the ground.

"Why would the prince himself come here all alone? Want all the glory for yourself, huh?" one of the knights asked him and another laughed mockingly.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand," the prince replied as he blocked one of his opponents' attack.

"So it is just about wanting all the glory for yourself? Well, I am sorry to break this to you," the knights said in a mocking tone, smiling as their swords clashed, "but you shall not succeed."

And the second the knight had finished his sentence, something hit him from behind and he fell dead to the ground. Hiccup quickly turned his gaze to wherever the attack came from and saw a knight of his own with a crossbow.

"Fairfax!" the prince cried out with a mixture of joy, confusion and disbelief in his voice. After that he began fighting another knight of Briral. "How are you here?!"

"Heard you'd be wanting all the glory for yourself, couldn't let you do that, could I?" Fairfax responded and shot another arrow from his crossbow.

There were only two knights left, and soon they both were down as well. They observed the scenery for a while before they put their weapons down for a second.

"I'm so glad you're here," Hiccup said and hit the knight on his shoulder. "But how did you know I was here? None of our own followed me when I left the battlefield."

"Nah, Gobber told me to look after you – he knew you would try something. It's creepy honestly, how he knows everything. I didn't follow you, I just went after you when I noticed you had gone."  
Fairfax was around Hiccup's age and he was his closest friend among the knights. They were a lot alike, but the prince had been taught not to become friends with the knights as there shouldn't be a close bond between a royal and a knight. Stoick had once explained it was because a royal had to be prepared to make hard decisions if a knight broke the code of Berk and dishonoured his title. Being their friend would only make it harder. That was why Fairfax couldn't be considered a real friend like Fishlegs.

Hiccup gave him a brief smile and they got back to their task. The stable doors were open, so they stepped in and saw many familiar-looking dragons. A warmth rushed over all tips of Hiccup's body and he felt like he could properly breathe again. After quickly explaining his plan to Fairfax, they started cutting the ropes that were around their dragons' necks, carefully checking that the reptiles they released were their own. Neither of them fancied the thought of bringing another battle upon Berk, even though deep down they knew that no matter what they did, the war would never end.

As the last dragon was released and flew away, Hiccup and Fairfax couldn't stop the massive grins from spreading across their faces. There was still a battle to be fought, but at least one thing was certain; they finally had their dragons back and Berk would be safe from other kingdoms' attacks for now. No one in their right minds would attempt to attack Berk when it was fully armed.

* * *

**Things will start getting more interesting in the next chapter, so be sure to stay tuned ;)**


	6. The Dragons Are Back

Hiccup sat on the windowsill and stared out of the window to the courtyard, where there was a mass of villagers walking towards the marketplace. If the prince paid attention, he might have noticed the nervous glances some of them directed towards the window of his chambers, but his eyes weren't registering anything that was happening down there. His mind was completely focused on the events of the battle they had faced two days ago. All their dragons were back safely and though he tried to stay modest, he couldn't help being impressed by his actions when he re-lived his rescue mission in his mind over and over again. Some parts of it felt like a far-away dream now, as though they were only a creation of his imagination. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had survived without major injuries – the odds never were high to his favour. In fact, he wasn't sure he would've made it without Sir Fairfax giving him a helping hand.

Even his father was utterly proud of him and he wouldn't stop praising his son for his brave doing. Of course the king had been furious with him for disobeying him, but on their way back to Berk, his father apparently suffered from a short-time memory loss as when they had landed, he couldn't stop repeating how proud he was of Hiccup. Every time they met now, Stoick brought the subject up with such pride in his voice, and it also seemed like the king had made sure that everyone within the kingdom would show a bit more respect towards him and Fairfax.

So yeah, all that praise did give a great boost to his mood in general; this kind of treatment from his father was so rare that he wanted to devour every single moment of it, for as long as it lasted. It also gave Hiccup the tiniest ray of hope that Stoick would start treating some of his son's absurd suggestions with a bit more trust, but he didn't dare to bask in that thought too much in case it never happened.

Hiccup thought of the dragons. Stoick had demanded that every single one of them would have to be checked for possible injuries, so they had found the most educated physician to do that job for them. Said physician lived in another kingdom that Berk was allies with, so he couldn't come instantly. It was about an hour ago that the physician had arrived, and he had made everyone swear on their lives not to disturb him until he was done. He was said to be an expert when it came to dragons, and Hiccup really hoped all these rumours about the physician's greatness rang some truth.

The prince had tried to focus on some paper work to pass time. It was his responsibility to map all areas within and outside of Berk that did not yet have a map, and he was almost finished with them, but there still were some details Hiccup wasn't entirely satisfied with. For example, he couldn't tell for sure where the river a couple miles from here ended, and he needed to figure it out before he could even consider that map done. There were many other things on the other maps as well. Most of them were detailed enough to be relied on, but he didn't want any mistakes to slip in. The last thing anybody needed was getting lost because of the prince's badly-constructed maps.

He couldn't concentrate on such demanding things like this when he felt there were more pressing matters at hand, was the thing. Mapping required a lot of attention; he really had to dive into his work to get something done, and with the straying thoughts that were filling Hiccup's head that task had turned out to be near impossible. So when he had got the maps out of the drawer, he had placed them back almost immediately. He could surely allow himself one lazy day a year. He had locked the drawer and placed the key on his belt, after which he had busied himself with the window he was now staring out of, thinking about their dragons.

He wondered whether the physician would also check on those that weren't stolen from them. If the prince was honest, he didn't really like the idea of others taking care of Toothless – no one knew that dragon like he did. He only needed to take one look at the Night Fury to know if something was wrong with him. A part of him felt silly for being like this; it wasn't like the physician was out there giving death sentences to their dragons, he was just there to make sure Briralians hadn't treated them horribly.

Not much later, there was a thud on Hiccup's bedroom door and the prince snapped out of his thoughts. He turned his head towards the door as he told the visitor to enter the room. One of the wooden doors were opened and Sir Shipley, one of the most trusted knights of Berk, stepped in.

"My Lord," he began and bowed down slightly. "The physician has now finished his work and is ready to be met."

Hiccup stood up from the windowsill immediately. Finally. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it surely had felt like an eternity.

"Thank you for letting me know. Have you told my father yet?" the prince asked as he made his way out of his bedroom. He stopped at the door to hear Shipley's answer.

"I will see to the king after this, My Lord."

The prince nodded and disappeared from the doorway. As soon as he was out of the castle, he broke into a run and sprinted towards the stables. There were people looking at him curiously – it wasn't usual to see any of the royals running. The king had once told Hiccup that a running king or a running prince would give the villagers an idea that something was wrong, but he couldn't bring himself to care; all he cared about was their dragons and whether the Briralians had treated them poorly. When the dragon trainers had quickly examined the dragons, there had been no signs of bad treatment, but Hiccup didn't believe for a second that they would have left them completely unharmed.

It took him but a couple minutes to get to the stables. He could see some knights and other people whose dragons had been snatched there, waiting for either Hiccup or Stoick to arrive. When the prince got closer to the crows, he could hear some of those people mutter his name and almost all of them turned their heads to greet Hiccup. They all bowed down and moved out of his way so he could reach the physician that was standing before the mass of people.

The physician also bowed down. He was a rather young and a tall man who appeared to be only skin and bones, his looks were exactly what one wouldn't expect from a highly educated physician. "Your Highness," he spoke. "It was an honour to work with your dragons, they truly are marvelous creatures." The mere enthusiasm that was dripping out of the physician's voice was enough to convince Hiccup that he had done his job thoroughly. It lessened the slight tension that had been building up inside him.

"Thank you for being able to come in such a short notice. What did you find? What did they do to the dragons?"

"It appears that they did..." he began and kept a short pause. Hiccup and the others held their breaths. "…nothing, My Lord. It is remarkable indeed, but there are no signs of injuries. It seems they took very good care of them."

That made the crowd behind Hiccup whisper to each other. It was a sea of mixed emotions - some whispers sounded beyond grateful, others wouldn't believe it true and were exchanging murmurs in suspicious tones. The prince squinted his eyes and a few wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

"How can that be possible? Are you absolutely certain?" he questioned disbelievingly. The physician nodded. "But it doesn't make any sense. How… why did they do that? Why would they treat their enemy's dragons well? It just makes no sense."

"I can't be for sure, My Lord, but they certainly have cared for them as if they were their own. I was told that you had a dragon in your midst that was ill when she was taken from you, but after my tests it looks like she has made a full recovery," the physician responded and smiled broadly at the prince. It was obvious he didn't understand how strange this all sounded to his audience.

"That's impossible," Hiccup shook his head, "she was really sick and there was nothing that could be done. They can't have just decided to cure her."

"My Lord," a voice behind him spoke. Hiccup turned around to look at the knight that was speaking. "May I tell you something that might interest you?"

"Of course, you don't need permission to speak up," the prince said and nodded to encourage the knight to keep going.

"I happen to be the rider of the dragon you're speaking of, and when she was returned back to Berk I was beyond happy. But when I went to her, she didn't recognise me or her name. Somehow she had turned against me, My Lord, she didn't even let me touch her."

Hiccup stared at him with his mouth open. What on earth was going on? "Thank you, that was really informative."

And that was when the king made his appearance and the physician told him the results of his examinations that he had already shared with the others. Stoick kept an unreadable expression on his face the entire time, but Hiccup could tell he was just as suspicious as he had been.

"What do you think, Father?" the prince asked the king once the physician had finished.

"They've clearly come up with a new plan that we do not yet know of. We must find a way to figure out their plan before it's too late."

"Should we order more guards to keep the castle secure until then?"

"Definitely," Stoick agreed. "This must not go unnoticed. Dragons don't just make full recoveries by themselves. There has to be sorcery at work here."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. He so wished to be alone with his father so he could once again tell him that magic didn't exist. He wasn't allowed to disagree with the king in public, which Hiccup believed to be a rule that Stoick had come up with when he had realised that disagreeing was one of Hiccup's favourite activities.

"The knights and I will start preparing to spy on Briral as soon as possible," he said instead. "I can guarantee their plan won't be secret for much longer."

Stoick looked at his son and smiled at him, looking pleased. "I would never doubt that. One day you're going to be a great king." He placed his large hand on Hiccup's shoulder and gave it a squeeze that he attempted to be gentle, but under his large palms it was like someone had placed a small-sized dragon on the prince's shoulder.

"Thank you, Father."

Despite the uncertainty that the physician's visit brought upon them, Hiccup couldn't help but feel extremely happy. He had decided that it was silly to be unpleased by the great condition their dragons were in. They had only managed to turn one dragon against them, but that was nothing compared to how many of them they had taken from Berk in the first place. On top of that, the dragon trainers had ensured them that they would be able to bring that dragon back to her senses soon enough, so Hiccup couldn't bring himself to be too worried about her.

He had carried a barrel next to Toothless and was now sitting on it. His dragon had got a few wounds in the battle and they were still healing. Fortunately the wounds weren't deep, just little scratches, but Hiccup wanted them to heal completely before flying on the Night Fury again; he didn't want to take any risk for them to become infected. However, it was his third day of not being in the air and he was starting to miss that rush of adrenaline he always got from flying. Toothless seemed to share his frustration, for he longingly glanced outside every now and then.

"I know, bud, but you have to heal properly before we can go out there again," Hiccup told him for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't want you to become even sicker."

Toothless growled disapprovingly and the prince snorted at his dragon's impatient nature. It was busy around them, as always. Now that all dragons were back, the stable workers could go back to their busy schedules. Working at the stables was probably one of the most demanding tasks within the kingdom – after being the king or the prince, of course – with so many dragons that needed to be taken care of and the two massive stables that had to be in perfect shape. Hiccup could never imagine how horrible such workload was. Surely being the only son of the King of Berk had its own challenges that no one else would have any idea of, but he never had to work from the crack of dawn to the late hours at night. And no one, except for his father, had the authority to tell him to get back to being a more proper prince if he was feeling lazy. If you were just a regular worker, pretty much anyone could tell you off for sitting for a minute too long.

Hiccup wasn't sure for how long he had been just sitting there beside his dragon, but his attention was moved from Toothless to the sudden sound of doors being slammed open with force. It alarmed the prince and the black dragon's instinct made him let out a deep, threatening growl. When they saw Fishlegs standing in the doorway, they both relaxed again but Hiccup's mind was filled with questions as he watched his friend rush over to him, panting heavily; he must have been running around the kingdom grounds to find him. People cast curious looks at Fishlegs, but no one said anything to him.

"Sir," he began and continued, taking little pauses between words to steady his breath, "I've been looking… everywhere… for you."

"Yes, I can see that," Hiccup frowned and looked at his friend questioningly. "What is it?"

Fishlegs allowed himself a moment to calm down before he made another attempt at speaking. "The king demands your presence in the Throne Room. He said it was something of great importance."

"Like what? Is he throwing another feast for me?"

"That I do not know, Sir, but he said it would be something you'd like, and he also told me to tell you that if you don't show up, there will be consequences that you won't like."

Hiccup smiled and let out an amused sigh. "So a feast it is then. If he wants me to decide which jester we're asking to come to perform to us this time, I can't possibly say no to the king," he stated in a playful tone.

He thought all these feasts were starting to be a bit too much. The prince kept telling himself that he would have been content with just a pat on the shoulder and a simple "good job" from his father, but he would've been lying had he claimed not to enjoy the attention Stoick was giving him.

So, he stood up from the barrel, said goodbye to his Night Fury and left the stables with Fishlegs. His friend looked a bit annoyed by the fact he was made to run around the castle for something as unimportant as this. Seeing that Fishlegs wasn't the most athletic person in this kingdom, Hiccup completely understood why.

"Do you want to wear the official ceremonial robes for this feast, too? I think the green colour suits you," the prince asked to lighten up the atmosphere once they were inside the castle. Fishlegs moaned desperately, which made Hiccup chuckle.

"Oh, for the love of Thor…" he responded, "if I have to put that thing on one more time…"

Now the prince laughed out loud and his laughter filled the entire corridor. A maid walking in front of them turned around to look for the source of the noise, and once she noticed the prince, she inhaled sharply and curtseyed as they walked by. Hiccup barely acknowledged her presence though.

"Are you saying you wouldn't be wearing them with pride?" he asked, still really amused by the thought of Fishlegs in the ridiculous-looking costume. The ceremonial robes for maids and other servants were made of green fabric and they had some very strange details on them – they used to have scales to represent dragons, but they were removed after it was discovered that such creatures did inhabit this world. Now the robes had eagles' feathers all around them and they were laughable in everyone's opinion.

"Yes, that's exactly what I am saying," Fishlegs responded, "I would pick facing a troll unarmed over wearing them any day."

Hiccup snorted. He was in such a great mood and everything was twenty times funnier today. "Don't worry, I will try to talk my father into forgetting they even exist."

They remained silent for the rest of the journey to the Throne Room, and once they reached their destination, the heavy wooden doors were opened.

Inside the Throne Room wasn't what Hiccup had expected to see. He thought there would only be the king and him, and they would have a casual chat about another feast, but what was before him was nothing like that. There were plenty of guards standing in a cluster and some of them had their spreads pointing at whoever was there in the middle.

The prince furrowed at the sight and slowly walked to the front as he was studying the situation. Stoick looked angry, and from the sounds of it, it sounded like the person who was there tried their best to loosen the guards' grip on them.

He walked next to the king. "You called for m-," he began, but his voice trailed off as he turned to look at the prisoner. He blinked a few times in case he was seeing things.

It was the girl with that dragon in the woods. He would recognise that braid and those clothes anywhere. What on earth was she doing here? Did she wish to die that much? On the other hand, the girl looked bewildered and was giving her best attempt at being freed of the guards' violent grip, so it was clear she wasn't on her knees on that floor at her own will.

"She was found within our kingdom grounds today. Do you recognise her, Son?" the king asked the prince.

"Hmm. Should I?" Hiccup asked unsurely and drew his attention from the girl to his father. He hoped that fear wasn't evident in his eyes. Had someone found out? But why would Fishlegs say that he would be pleased by this if he was going to be punished?

They both looked at each other for a brief moment before Stoick stood up from his throne and pointed at the prisoner with his finger. "That, my son, is Astrid Hofferson, the princess of Briral."


	7. The Princess of Briral

**Thank you everyone for your comments and follows/favourites! I have never received that many from a single chapter 3**

* * *

"I demand you to release me immediately!" Princess Astrid finally spoke. Fear was clear in her voice, but she was doing an impressive job at keeping that fierce look that didn't radiate a single ray of fear.

More questions rose in Hiccup's mind before he had time to mentally answer them. Why was she here? Why hadn't he known what the only heir to their enemy's throne looked like? Had he seriously helped her with her dragon?

"You must be aware of the rules around these lands, Your Majesty," Stoick said with a very satisfied, mocking tone. "Once you enter another kingdom's lands, you are a nobody. No one cares about the titles you claim to have in your own kingdom and you become nothing but a common peasant. Unless I am mistaken, this rule also applies for Briral."

The fierce look on Astrid's face started to slowly fade away, being replaced by uncertainty and anxiety. That was when it hit Hiccup – she had to be alone. There was no way she would react like this if there was a knight, or a hundred knights, in shining armour to rescue her. What had made her risk so much to venture beyond Berk's borders? Had she lost her mind?

When he thought about it, he realised he could expect literally anything from a Briralian, so maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised by this.

"Now, if you value your life more than it's worth, you will tell me how many of your men are out there waiting for your signal," Stoick said with a dark voice. It sounded so horrifying that Hiccup stopped staring at Astrid and turned his attention on his father. His eyes were soon back on the princess though because he craved to see her reaction.

"I acted alone," she said after a pause, trying to sound confident and brave, but her appearance was everything but. "I only had a dragon with me, but he managed to escape."

"But your dragon's a female," Hiccup blurted out before he could stop himself. He felt all eight pairs of eyes on him and his cheeks started to feel hot. "I mean… everyone knows that, don't they?"

"I did not," Stoick said. When the prince glanced at the king, he saw a wide smile had been spread across his face. "But that piece of information confirms that you're lying."

Hiccup could feel the princess' eyes on him. When their eyes met, it looked almost like she was thinking really hard about something. He broke the eye contact in a second, but the prince knew it would be sooner or later that she figured out the true identity of her helper in the woods.

He was never going to help anyone ever again.

"Put her in the cells until I have decided what use we have of her," Stoick said and dismissed the guards with his hand.

The prince watched as the guards made their way out of the Throne Room with Princess Astrid in the middle. He could hear her spit out "I can walk by myself" and "Get your dirty hands off of me" before they were out of sight and the wooden doors were closed after them.

"Why didn't you tell me what the princess of Briral looked like?!" Hiccup yelled at his father and threw his hands up in the air. "She could've walked safely under my very nose because I had no clue how to recognise her until now!"

"Oh, Hiccup," the king chuckled, "I never told you simply because I didn't want you to go out there looking for her and put yourself in grave danger. I never thought you would even have to meet each other; a battleground is no place for women, let alone princesses."

"But… but I could've met her somewhere, like… like in the woods and helped her because I didn't know what she looked like!"

Stoick burst out laughing, apparently thinking his son was just trying to come up with an excuse to be mad at him. Oh boy, if only he knew. "And how would that ever be possible? You surely aren't so foolish to just wander in the woods with no knights by your side, they do know what she looks like. I can't speak for Princess Astrid for that matter, but I'm sure she is well-guarded as well," he said, still chuckling in between some words. He looked at Hiccup, and when he noticed there was no change in the prince's serious and annoyed face, the king's features started to slowly lose the cheerful look as well. He ran his hand down his big, bushy beard as he observed his son. "Is this really the only thing you care about? Aren't you happy that we finally have a powerful weapon we can use against Briral? We might even milk the plan they had for our dragons out of the princess."

Hiccup shook his head slightly and fixed his eyes on the floor while pinching the bridge of his nose. He realised he needed to calm down before he said too much and his father put the puzzle pieces together and the prince's secret was out. He hadn't even thought about using the princess of Briral as a weapon, his mind had been too busy thinking about why she was here instead of how Berk could benefit from her being here. Although he did realise that his father had a point and he should start figuring out a way to get information out of Princess Astrid, he couldn't push the question _why_ out of his mind. It was consuming his mind and everything else seemed less relevant to him by the second. He then looked up at his father who was sitting on the enormous throne and looking at him with his eyes squinted in slight confusion.

The prince sighed. "Doesn't it concern you why she has come here? Before we can use her for anything, we need to figure out why she is here in the first place."

"Why she's here doesn't matter to me," Stoick replied as though that should have been the case for Hiccup as well. "She is here because the knights of Berk were more skilled than her. Now, let us focus on the important matters. We will have an entire army of Briralians on us soon, they need to be located before we can make any further plans on the counter-attack. How long until the patrol can leave?"

Hiccup looked at his father for a moment before he took a deep breath and replied: "An hour, may not even be that long."

"Good. Make sure they start readying the dragons. You are dismissed."

Without saying a word, the prince bowed down to the king and left the Throne Room. Too many things had happened in a short time span and everything felt surreal. What were the odds that of all people he could have stumbled upon on his nocturnal sneak-out, it just had to be Berk's archenemy? His mind was storming, which wasn't exactly anything unusual, but this was different. There had to be a very important reason for Princess Astrid to come here, that much was obvious to Hiccup, but why in the name of Odin did she act alone? Unless she was an excellent actor and she managed to put on an authentic I-am-going-to-die-here-and-it-wasn't-part-of-my-plan look, she had to be here alone. Hiccup just knew it.

Maybe she wasn't the only heir in Briral and the king didn't care if the princess died? What if all kingdoms had just been led to believe that she was his only child, and Astrid would take the king's place on the throne? Maybe she had figured it out and fled, not realising she had crossed Berk's borders because she had been out of her right mind?

There were too many questions and too few answers, and his own theories were beginning to sound more absurd after another. A tiny part of him wondered why he tried so hard to come up with an explanation why the princess had set her foot on Berk's grounds. His father was right; all that should have mattered to him was that Astrid Hofferson was now caught and in the cells. And he had more important things to worry about, that being the task the king had given him. Since Toothless wasn't currently fit to fly, he knew he wouldn't be joining the patrol, which meant he would only have more time for his stupid thoughts and questions, which was just perfect. He dearly wished that Gothi, Berk's court physician, had a potion that would make him stop thinking.

"Have you seen Sir Fairfax or the other knights recently?" he asked a maid that was about to walk past him. The woman stopped dead in her tracks to look at her prince.

"Not since yesterday, My Lord," she answered as she curtseyed humbly. "But you should ask someone that works in the royal kitchens. Some of the knights like to spend their time there, so the maids in the kitchens may have seen them during the past hours."

Hiccup snorted. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he said mostly to himself and was off again.

It didn't take him long to get into the corridor that led to the kitchen, and he was relieved to find Fairfax there chatting with another young woman Hiccup could only assume to be one of the maids. The prince walked up to them and once Fairfax spotted Hiccup, his attention turned on him.

"Hiccup," Fairfax said cheerfully. "What brings you near the heaven on Earth?"

Hiccup raised his eyebrow at that, amused. "Heaven on Earth? Is that what you call the royal kitchens?"

"Yep," the knight responded with a popping P and took a bite of the apple he had in his hand. "It is about the closest thing I will probably ever be to heaven, excluding the times I fly on my dragon of course – you're in the sky then, you know – so I thought I'd better make the most of my time while I still can."

The prince chuckled and shook his head. "Did you hear the news about the princess of Briral?" he then asked and turned graver.

"I know everything, word travels fast around here. What did you do to her?"

"The king put her in the cells until he decides what to do with her."

"Serves her about right," Sir Fairfax stated with a nod and took another bite of his apple. "Is that why you're here?"

"Actually, yes," Hiccup responded. "Stoick wants a patrol to go out there to look for an army of Briralians. He strongly believes there's one waiting to strike."

"I'll gather our men and get ready," Fairfax said and took a few steps in the direction from which Hiccup had just come until he stopped and turned around. "Just out of curiosity, do you believe there's an army out there?"

Hiccup allowed himself a moment to consider his response. "No, I don't. The look on her face made it clear no one knows she's here yet." He kept a short pause. He lowered his gaze to the cuff of his shirt sleeve and twiddled it as he continued, "I mean, of course we don't know anything about her, but if she was faking it, she did it splendidly. I saw no pretence in her eyes which is why I believe that, for an unknown reason, Princess Astrid acted alone."

He looked back up to see Fairfax nod in approval. Without saying another word, he walked away. That was only when Hiccup noticed the maid had disappeared out of sight too. The prince took one last glance at the door to what Sir Fairfax claimed to be the heaven on Earth, smiled weakly and left the corridor.

* * *

The prince had eventually decided to work on the maps to keep his mind busy. The moment he had stepped into his room, he had taken the maps and his compass out of the drawer and was now marking down points on them. He had immersed himself completely with his work and he almost forgot about the things that were happening behind his chamber doors. His eyes set on the map that was his most unfinished work – it was of the kingdom of Briral. He knew he would never get it done because whenever he had any business near that area, it was because he was going into war and that wasn't the time for mapping. He only had the location of the castle and some of the borders of their lands drawn on the fragment of paper, but the rest was completely blank.

He then started thinking about the events of today. Once he did, he immediately regretted it; he felt like he had to do something, but there was nothing he could've done, or at least nothing he could think of. He couldn't get back into his work mood now that he had gotten himself out of it. The prince groaned out of mere frustration and rested his forehead on both of his palms. He stared at the dark, wooden table and felt more and more useless each passing heartbeat.

There was a shy knock on the door.

"Come in," Hiccup said without moving an inch from his current position.

There was a brief silence as the person stepped in, and then the prince could hear an unfamiliar voice speak, "Oh Gods, are you alright, My Lord?"

He raised his head from his palms to see who it was. He had no idea. Hiccup straightened himself up on the chair and put on a fake smile. "Never better. What is it?"

"The prisoner requests your presence," the woman answered. She was trying to look around the room without making it too obvious, and Hiccup wasn't sure if it was because she was curious about the prince's chambers or if she was too scared to look at him in the eyes.

"But she has no authority to do such thing," Hiccup said, confused.

"That is why it is a request, My Lord. You can ignore it if you wish."

The prince nodded slowly. "You may leave now," he said, but a question rose in his mind so he stopped her before she got out of the door. "No, wait. Has there been any word from the patrol?"

"Yes, My Lord. They came back recently. There was no sign of anyone. They've already reported back to the king."

"So no Briralians are lurking at our borders?" he asked for confirmation.

"It appears not."

"Alright. Thank you," Hiccup said and let the woman finally go.

The very second the door was shut, the prince stood up from his chair. He did it so fast that he felt dizzy for two whole seconds, but he ignored it as he was in a rush to get out of his chambers. If Princess Astrid had requested his presence, it would only mean that he was about to get some answers to his questions. As he made his way to the cells, he made sure no one saw where he was heading to so he didn't have to explain himself. He didn't want anyone to interrupt the little chat he was going to have with the princess, especially knowing that he would never hear the end of it if Stoick ever found out that Hiccup had a meeting with her.

The air down in the cells was horrible; it was stuffy and hard to breathe. It was also extremely cold down there, which was the main reason Hiccup avoided visiting the place as much as possible. He once had to spend an hour in there because of a hearing he had to attend, and he couldn't feel his toes for the rest of the day.

He sprinted down the stairs as fast as he could. The cracks and missing pieces of the stony stairs made it clear they had seen their better days ages ago, and the risk of getting himself hurt was high, so he tried to be careful while still keeping up the fast pace. On the way, he took one of the torches that illuminated the otherwise dark part of the castle.

Once he was nearing his destination, he was encountered with two guards guarding the cells. They bowed down to him and let him pass through them. Under his breath, Hiccup told the guards that nobody was to come here while he was visiting the prisoner, to which he earned two understanding nods.

He looked for the princess with the torch and soon spotted her curled up in the corner of one of the cells. She had her back turned on him so she hadn't yet noticed his presence. It didn't take long until Astrid looked over her shoulder as she heard approaching footsteps, and for a moment they just stared at each other.

"I didn't think you'd come," she stated coldly, still looking at him over her shoulder. "The prince himself had the courage to come down here to see me. Should I feel privileged?"

"You will not speak to me like that," Hiccup threatened. "And at the moment I am your prince, just remember that."

Astrid snorted. "You're nothing to me until you've proven to be worthy of that title." There was a rather long silence between them, during which Hiccup placed the torch on the wall so that it would shed a bit of light on the princess. Finally Astrid sighed and stood up. "That wasn't a very good start for this meeting. For all my life I've been taught to hate you and it feels like it's the only emotion I am able to feel towards you."

"If it helps any, the feeling's mutual," Hiccup said and crossed his arms across his chest. Astrid walked as close to the prince as she could. She held onto one of the bars and tried to look him in the eyes but he avoided meeting her gaze. "Why are you here anyway?" he asked.

"I wanted to see you," the girl responded without missing a beat.

Hiccup almost choked on his own spit and was now coughing into his fist. "Excuse me?" he managed to say in between the coughs.

"For years I've wanted nothing more but peace between our kingdoms. Blood has been shed too much and no one even knows the reason why we're enemies to each other." Hiccup didn't say anything so Astrid kept on talking, "I know there's nothing we can do to change our parents' minds, but we could already start building the kingdoms we both want to look at with pride."

"You're talking like this is also what I want," Hiccup stated. "And was coming here really the best solution to see me? You surely know the king isn't letting you live much longer."

"I know it was you that helped me with Stormfly in the woods. I had my suspicions later on – you had such an expensive-looking flying suit and you were hiding your dragon, so it only made sense that you weren't a nobody in the place you come from. But the moment I heard you speak up there," she said and raised her finger to indicate the castle that was above them, "I knew there was something familiar in your voice, but when you knew about my dragon, I instantly knew it was you and my suspicions were confirmed. We know how to be civil around each other." She completely ignored what Hiccup had just said. The way she spoke was too calm and it made the prince uneasy; he had never heard of a prisoner who spoke with such certainty and confidence, and the last person he was expecting that to come from was the girl in front of her. It almost sounded like everything was going according to her plan and she was loving every step of it.

"But that doesn't prove anything, we didn't know each other's true identities. As you probably noticed, once we knew who we were, we started speaking in a hateful manner to each other." That was when Hiccup finally locked his eyes with Astrid's. The princess tilted her head and bit her inner lip as she studied him carefully in the dim light.

"I think it proves a lot," she said thoughtfully as if that was the result of her moment of examination.

Hiccup blinked. "So now you know me?"

Astrid ignored his question once again. "Well, our encounter doesn't prove a lot, but everything else does. I know what you did in Briral. You only took what you thought was rightfully yours so that we wouldn't have a reason to go after you and start another battle. Isn't that what you were aiming at?" The prince gaped at her dumbfounded. He had no idea what to say on that. The princess immediately understood that she had been right, and a small smile spread across her face. "That's why I know we can eventually make peace. We're so different from our fathers, they've already made up their minds about how they see the world, but we haven't. There are so many things we can change for the better once we are ruling our kingdoms."

Hiccup's mind was racing, and he couldn't find the words to describe the emotions he was going through. One second his mind couldn't believe how similar his thoughts had been to Astrid's and that there was now a tiny chance their kingdoms would see the day when all their buildings were over a month old. The next second his brain tried to tell him that this was against everything his father had built Berk on, and if he now teamed up with that girl on the other side of the bars, he would destroy the Berk he had learned to love. The third second was reserved for the thought _she is still your archenemy and nothing she says is worth trusting._

When the prince didn't speak, Astrid took that as a sign to go on; "Your actions really do prove that you're striving for the same things as I am. I know that you will eventually see reason and you will help me escape, though I was hoping it would happen a bit easier." The tone she ended her last sentence with made it sound like there was more to her words.

"Help you escape?" Hiccup parroted incredulously. Had this girl been talking to him in his sleep and there had been a moment where they had bumped their fists and become best friends, and that made her say these things? Was she forgetting that if the bars weren't in their way, the first thing that would be expected from them was to draw their weapons and fight till death?

"Exactly," Astrid said easily.

Now it was Hiccup's turn to examine her. For some reason it still made him uncomfortable seeing how calm the princess seemed to be about this entire situation, which was the complete opposite of what he was feeling. It was as if she didn't care if she died here. Her serenity didn't match the events in the Throne Room where she had been shouting and definitely scared. How was she capable of switching between two moods that were polar opposites in a matter of a few hours?

The prince collected his thoughts before he spoke, trying his best to reflect the calmness in Princess Astrid's voice. "You know, it's very strange how you're talking to me like we know each other. That encounter in the woods barely counts for anything – we didn't know our identities and it's impossible to tell how it would've gone if we had. I have no idea what gave you such a great desire to come to Berk, but I am sure it wasn't because you wanted to tell me about your observations and your plans for the future. Do you have any idea what my father would do if he ever found out I am having an almost-friendly conversation with the person I am expected to hate the most? And help you escape? You do realise I would be guilty of treason if I did that? Are you really as naïve as you make yourself out to be?"

There was a flash of anger and hate in Astrid's eyes, but she restored the calm look almost instantly. She then bit her bottom lip and her appearance became stiffer and more nervous. "There's one other reason why I came. You took my dragon from me."

Was she going to ignore everything Hiccup said? This girl needed some serious lessons on how to maintain a conversation with people. "We only took our own and that's what you also noticed," he stated with no emotion in his voice.

"Yes, and I also said that you _tried _to take only your own dragons, but you also took mine. I think you used to have a Deadly Nadder among your dragons-"

"We still do."

"Your dragon never made it to Briral. She was too sick and the pace was too fast for her. The knights brought her corpse to Briral anyway. It was horrifying to look at her because she looked exactly like my Stormfly… When I had my suspicions about you being my helper in the woods, I decided to take one of our dragons and fly near Berk. Reckless, I know, but the thought of Stormfly being in unfamiliar hands just wouldn't be erased from my mind, so I had to act, I had to do something. I thought that if it were you that helped me, you'd do that once again with a bit of persuading. I was meant to wait for you outside of the borders of Berk, but at some point I guess I got too close and was captured."

Hiccup was silent. That would explain why the dragon had magically made full recovery and didn't let the knight come close to her. He recalled Astrid's words in the woods: _she doesn't approve of strangers touching her._

The prince's heart was beating really fast and he wasn't sure why. He was still feeling mixed emotions and he didn't know which one of them he should act on. He felt as though his decisions now would determine a big chunk of Berk's future, which was something he didn't think he'd need to worry about for many, many years.

_She is your enemy._

"I can't trust you," he said finally and shook his head. "I can't take anything you say as truth."

Now it was Astrid's turn to be annoyed. "Do you honestly think I would risk my life to come here to tell you bedtime stories?!"

Hiccup took the torch from the wall and took a few steps backwards, his eyes fixed on the princess. "Do you seriously think I would commit treason for you?"

She didn't say anything, so the prince turned around. After a few steps he could hear Astrid bang her fist against the bars and the action left a small echo in the cells. When he reached the guards, he could hear the girl shout after him: "Just think about it and come see me in the morning!"

He didn't say anything at that, he just left as fast as he could. Every part of his body felt frozen and his movements weren't as fast as he would've liked. How were the cells that cold?

He had gone down there to get some answers to his questions, but instead he had been given even more of them. He felt dizzy and he couldn't think straight. If one short conversation with Astrid Hofferson was enough to make his head go crazy, he didn't even want to know what would happen on round two. So if there was one thought that was crystal clear in his mind, then it was that this was the last time he visited Princess Astrid. Ever.

At least that was what he hoped.


	8. Five Steps Ahead

Hiccup stayed awake the entire night knowing he would regret it in the morning, but he just couldn't stop thinking. Today had definitely been one of the most confusing days he had ever had the misfortune to live through, what with the dragons being in perfect health and the princess of Briral appearing out of nowhere. And if that wasn't enough, said princess also expected him to become an ally with her.

And that was keeping the prince awake. He tried to make some sense of the situation, but the problem was that there was little to no sense in it. How could one encounter in the night and one action on the battlefield convince Princess Astrid so much that she would risk everything – her life, her kingdom's future – to come and talk to him? The way she had spoken about the matter implied that she was positive he would want to take part in her shot-out-of-the-blue plan.

What made things worse was that no matter how hard Hiccup tried to deny it, everything Astrid had told him had been exactly what he had thought about some time ago. But that was way back when Briral hadn't yet stolen the majority of their dragons. After that incident, he had been convinced that that pitiful excuse of a kingdom would never be anything but an enemy to Berk and he never gave any thought for it since, but now that thought had been brought back into his mind, stronger than ever.

Hiccup used to feel nothing but hatred and disgust towards Briral, but now there was also a pinch of confusion and curiosity. Enemies didn't just take your dragons and treat them as their own. So was this Briral's way – a rather questionable one if he might add – of showing that they wanted to bring about peace? If so, why not meet face-to-face with Stoick?

The prince wasn't big on this night. He was aware that he was a person with a busy mind, but it had never been this busy. There were too many questions and he didn't know the answer to any of them. He also knew this was the second night he lost his sleep because of Astrid and he hated to admit that.

He went through the conversation with the princess over and over again in his head and tried to recall any sign that would imply she had been fooling him around and this was just some trick of hers to get herself out of the bad situation. But he couldn't tell which of the small details had actually been there and how many he had just added to fill the missing bits in the picture in his mind's eyes, so it really was no use. Hiccup could've given pretty much anything to have his mind focus on something less important like one of the feasts his father had thrown for him the other day.

* * *

After coming to the conclusion that he wouldn't be sleeping at all that night, he got up and got dressed into the clothes he had been wearing during the daytime. He wanted to talk to someone about everything that had happened, and the only person he could think of for this purpose was Fishlegs. His friend was a very good listener and he always gave the prince good advice, which was something he felt he needed. Before he exited, he quickly grabbed his dark blue cloak and put it on. Hiccup opened his bedroom door and was instantly greeted by two guards that had been ordered to stay by the door; the king didn't want to risk anything now that their enemy was within their kingdom grounds, however imprisoned she was.

"Your Highness," one of them breathed out, clearly surprised to see Hiccup awake. "Why are you still dressed?"

There wasn't much light around, just a few torches here and there, but the prince could still see how tired the guards were. They were probably thankful that he was there keeping them awake right now.

Hiccup didn't answer the guard's question. "I will go out for a walk for a bit. I need some fresh air."

"But Sir, is it wise? It might be dangerous outside this time of the day."

"I don't see why it would be any more dangerous now than it would be some other time of the day."

He didn't have any intention to stick around longer, so he just walked past the guards and ignored whatever they were shouting after him. Hiccup was sure there was no enemies outside, a blind man could've seen how authentic Astrid's reaction was when she had been sent to the cells. And that was another thing he could not wrap his head around – a princess should definitely know what the customs are, a non-citizen was considered an intruder if there was no good reason behind their visit, and a Briralian had to have a damn good reason for a visit for them to not be locked up in the dungeons.

It was hard to navigate through the market and the stalls when there was no light around. He didn't have to come up with any excuses as long as he didn't stumble upon the king himself, but he still felt like it was for the best if he could pay his visit unnoticed, so he wasn't carrying a light source with him. He walked near the walls of the houses, avoiding the road.

He loved sneaking out, it filled his body with such excitement he didn't get anywhere else. He had sneaked out so many times in his life that by now he could do it effortlessly and if one didn't know to look, they wouldn't even suspect there was someone lurking in the shadows. Most of the time he did it because he wanted to spend some more time with his own dragon. There were so many duties, places to be and things to do on a daily basis that the time he could spend with the Night Fury was almost non-existent. It was also a great way to clear his mind. But Toothless had been injured in the battle and they would have to wait at least a couple more days until the wounds would heal, which was why he couldn't hop on the dragon and fly off. Given the state his mind was in, he should've probably been thankful that flying was out of question for him – he didn't think it impossible that he would've flown off the edge of the world in his attempt to flee from his thoughts.

The prince was soon near Fishlegs' home. The hut was probably the best-looking building in the village, mostly because Hiccup had made sure there were enough supplies for Fishlegs to rebuild it whenever there was a need for that. He knocked on the door thrice with a thud and waited. It wasn't long until his friend opened the door, and once he did, a smile spread across Fishlegs' face.

Hiccup knew instantly why he was smiling and groaned: "Please, don't tell me you were expecting me to show up tonight."

"That I did," Fishlegs responded, clearly pleased with himself. "Too many things happened today for your mind not to be crowded because of them. Come in."

Hiccup did as told and stepped into his friend's home. There wasn't much to look at inside, there was just a small table surrounded by a few chairs, a fireplace and a bed. The prince wondered how anyone could ever live in a place like this for longer than a day.

He raised his gaze from the furniture and saw Fishlegs offer him bread in a basket, but he refused it with his hand. He couldn't even think about eating when his mind was storming like this.

"So, what's on your mind?" Fishlegs asked casually as he sat down on one of the chairs. He studied Hiccup carefully as he started pacing.

"Everything. The dragons, Astrid, my father, Berk's future. Everything. I visited her in the cells earlier."

"Are you kidding me? Why did you do that?"

"By her request. And I don't even know if visiting her was a wise move. She made me think."

"About what?"

"Everything. The worst part is that I have no idea if she was being serious or if she is just planning an escape and thought this to be the most effective way to get away."

"What did she tell you?" Fishlegs asked, shifting his position on the chair.

Hiccup told him everything. It felt somehow relieving to say the things out loud, as if they were a secret he had kept in for much too long. However, he selectively left out the part where Astrid had expected Hiccup to help her escape; for reasons unknown to him, he felt like that was something he should figure out by himself. The prince also knew what his friend would tell him; just do what you think is right. But that was the thing – he had no idea what he thought was right. Every solution seemed as bad as the others.

Fishlegs was a great audience, he didn't interrupt the prince but he nodded occasionally to let him know he was still following. His expression changed from confused to interested to disbelieving and back to confused, and when Hiccup finished, he just stared at him for a moment with his mouth shaped into an O.

"Wow. That's a lot to take in," he finally commented. "What do you think of it?"

"I don't know. Do you think she's lying?"

"Well, that dragon did a magical recovery, it shouldn't be possible to happen. And she risked a lot coming here, I don't see why she would come here to tell you tales."

"That's what she said as well. But if she has bonded with her dragon, why did she follow the rest and didn't stay? If someone were trying to take Toothless like that, he would fight with all he's got."

"We can only guess. Perhaps their bond isn't that strong, or the dragon is in love with one of our own."

"Ha, ha, so funny, Fishlegs," Hiccup deadpanned. He stopped pacing and looked over his shoulder at his friend with a bored look.

"I wasn't trying to be funny," Fishlegs responded. "It's a possibility."

Hiccup's brows drew together in thought and he tapped his forehead repeatedly with his index finger. "But she came alone, how does that make sense? Don't you think it's going to be a problem when Briral notices their princess has disappeared like dust in the air?"

Fishlegs thought about it for a moment before he replied: "I don't know… but our theories are only guesswork. We don't know what has happened in Briral before she left, she might have done something to make them not look for her, or she might have not done anything and there will be Briralians on us very soon because it's likely they're going to suspect Berk for her disappearance."

The prince sighed for no particular reason. He leaned against the closest wall and thought hard. There was truth in what Fishlegs said. The uncertainty of what she did or didn't do before she left for Berk was distressing because that would determine what kind of a turn the events of the next few days would take. When he glanced at Fishlegs, he seemed to be deep in his thoughts as well, staring at his own feet. Hiccup could only guess his friend was pondering everything he had just told him.

"You know what frustrates me about this situation?" Hiccup said before he could stop himself. He had no intention to speak and yet that was exactly what he was doing. Fishlegs' head snapped back up from the floor and the prince could see genuine interest spread across his friend's face. He nodded to encourage him to keep going. And so he did. "The fact that everything she said, about peace and all that stuff, is precisely what I've been thinking of. But I forgot about those ridiculous plans a long time ago, and now she made me reconsider them all over again as if there was a choice for me to make. Nothing like that could ever happen when we rule, and if it did my father would probably rise from the dead from the mere shock it'd cause him. All of this is pointless and I still can't stop thinking about it."

"But as she said, it couldn't happen when your fathers are in charge. No one's going to tell you what to do when you are King."

Hiccup frowned at Fishlegs. Stoick was one of the greatest kings Berk had ever seen and meddling with what he had built during his reign would be highly questioned, no matter if it was the traditions or a never-ending animosity that no one remembered the real reason for. But he had sworn to himself that when he was in charge, he would change some customs, and a few times his mind had been occupied by a wild thought that he could take a few steps towards peace.

His mind travelled back to the battlefield and women and children's screams. Were the lives of innocent people so worthless to him that even for them he wouldn't be willing to swallow the hundreds of years of pride that prevented Berk from making peace with Briral? Even if there was no bloodshed, axes, dragon attacks or death, it didn't mean they were instantly the closest allies. There were plenty of kingdoms Berk was in peace with but they had heard no word from in years.

"What do you think?" Hiccup asked Fishlegs after a very long silence.

"As strange as the situation is, I don't believe the princess of Briral is risking her life for jokes, so there must be some truth to what she said. There are still too many holes in this, but I don't think you'll be able to fill them unless you go visit her again. Talking to her is the only way to make some sense of this all. At least that's the way I see it." Hiccup looked at his friend and bit his inner lip. "Of course I can't be sure what's going to happen, but I think you shouldn't waste this opportunity," Fishlegs continued and stood up.

The prince knew his friend was right. He was thankful he didn't announce his intentions of never going near the cells when Astrid was within the earshot – he didn't want her to get an idea that Hiccup thought she was special, or irresistible. Which she was not.

"I just don't know how much time I have. Knowing my dad, he has already decided that she is to be hanged after he has tried to get information out of her. I still am not sure what's the right thing to do, but I guess you're right about me having to go see her one last time," Hiccup said and looked outside. The sun was rising and the realisation that he had literally been awake the entire night made him gape at the window. Fighting practice was going to be lots of fun this morning. "I think I must leave. See you in a few hours on the training grounds."

"See you," Fishlegs said and looked at Hiccup's back before he walked towards his bed, or at least that was what that pile of planks looked like to the prince.

When Hiccup was almost out, he peeked from the door and looked at his friends and a crooked smile spread across his face. "One more question – how much does the fact that you hate going into war have to do with you persuading me to talk to her?"

All he could hear was just Fishlegs' laugh as he closed the door and walked to the castle as fast as he could.

* * *

The morning was just as fun as the prince had anticipated. His fighting practice had gone horribly wrong from every possible aspect. Even though they used dull swords when practising, he had still managed to injure his arm and he had been advised to visit Gothi. Hiccup didn't consider it a very urgent task at that moment, so he decided he would go when he actually had time which, at this rate, would never happen. He could just feel this was going to be one of those days when he would need to go frantically around the kingdom fulfilling his duties, and his exhaustion wouldn't be any help there. He surely knew how to pick the nights he lost his sleep over something stupid.

He hadn't forgotten about his plans to go see Princess Astrid today. For that to happen, he had to talk to his father to find out what he had planned for her although Hiccup already knew what it was going to be. Death. It was just how Stoick wanted it to happen that mattered there – the slower the preparation process, the more time he would have to talk to the princess.

He knew where to look for his father. It seemed like the Throne Room was the only part of the castle the king cared about as he spent all his time there, unless there was something in the Great Hall he was to see to. Hiccup's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor as he walked towards his destination. On the way, he tried his best to get the tiredness out of his face by giving himself small slaps on his cheeks. He was grateful no one was around to see that as he would definitely earn some strange looks in his direction.

Once he was in the Throne Room, he saw his father smiling broadly at him. Hiccup didn't need to think twice why Stoick was in such great spirits – he himself would've probably been like that too if the cause of his father's happiness hadn't messed around with his head last night.

"My son, isn't it a wonderful morning?" Stoick said happily. The prince could hear a hint of victory in the king's voice too.

"It certainly has its own charm…" he responded trying to mimic his father's emotions.

"Your timing is perfect."

"It.. is?"

"You get to decide what we are going to do with the princess. What do you think is the best way to benefit from her?"

"Uh… Father, do I really have to be the one to decide?" Hiccup asked hesitantly. "I thought this would be something you'd love to do."

Stoick rubbed his hands together as if he was in for a treat. "Well, if you want to hear my thoughts on this; I was thinking about putting a price on her. Does half of Briral sound reasonable to you? Their beloved princess for some land."

Hiccup considered his response for a few seconds. "Briral is half a day ride from Berk, what on earth would we do with land that far away?" Hiccup questioned while rubbing his chin. "Besides, I don't think it's wise to inform them she is here. You saw her yesterday, there was no pretence in her eyes when she told us she acted alone. And there is proof of that, the patrol didn't find anything."

The king rubbed his beard thoughtfully and stared at the closed doors that led out of the Throne Room. It was then when it hit him. If Princess Astrid were to die here, the king of Briral would be beyond furious. There was no doubt that there would be another battle, and he had a feeling that it would be nothing like they had seen yet. And the prince didn't want that. He didn't want to bring more misery upon their people. Once again, the images of those citizens of Briral running for their lives flashed before his eyes and he pictured those screams and cries within Berk's walls. If he could delay, or even avoid, another battle, he would have to seize the opportunity. Their people had done nothing wrong and they were always the ones to suffer the most.

He couldn't let Astrid die in their hands, at least not this way. The princess had surely considered this since she had been so confident about Hiccup helping her escape.

_"I know that you will eventually see reason and you will help me escape."_

How was this girl five steps ahead of him? Hiccup had literally no choice but to help her flee. And to take away every evidence that she ever was held a prisoner in Berk, he would have to let her take the dragon she claimed to be hers whether it was true or not.

Just as he thought this day wouldn't be any more fun than it already was. The Gods hated him.

"You said you'd let me decide?" Hiccup asked nervously. Stoick stopped rubbing his beard and looked at his son excitedly. Fortunately his father had completely missed the inner storm that had been very clearly written on the prince's face just a couple seconds ago. Hiccup needed to think of something and quick. "I want, err… the best executioner you know to end her days. On a guillotine."

"But it'll take at least a day for him to come here," Stoick said disbelievingly, clearly not pleased by the prince's choice.

"Exactly!" Hiccup said triumphantly as if he had just hit the jackpot. "We will let her know how brutally she's going to die and ferment her fear even more. Isn't that just perfect? Nothing would bring me more joy than seeing the distress on her face!" He wished he didn't sound too desperate or too obvious – he had never in his life been happy about killing anybody and Stoick was aware of that. He was just so relieved that he had figured something out so fast and the words were just bubbling out of his mouth with no filter.

The king seemed to be taken aback by the sudden change in Hiccup's mood, but he soon brushed that look off his face and replaced it with a smile. "Well, you certainly seem eager about this. Have it your way, Son, make sure the invitation will be delivered to the executioner immediately."

The prince almost ran into the corridor once Stoick dismissed him. He would have time until the evening to come up with an escape plan for Princess Astrid and the dragon. He just hoped nothing would go wrong as he was also risking a lot by giving their enemy a helping hand.

How would banishment from his own kingdom sound like?  
Just add that to the pile of horrors that were waiting for him if he failed.

* * *

**How did you like this chapter? Please let me know, your comments and reviews are highly appreciated by me, I read all of them with a big, goofy smile on my face :)**


	9. The Escape

Hiccup had to cancel all his other responsibilities for the day, for he had to reserve all his brain cells for his plan on how to get Astrid Hofferson out of Berk without him, or anybody else, being caught.

First he needed to find Fishlegs. That turned out to be a much more challenging task than he had anticipated; there were so many places where his friend could have been in Berk, for he had many, many responsibilities as a servant. The prince searched by the river where the laundry was always washed, his own chambers, the stables…until he finally found Fishlegs polishing Hiccup's armour in the saddle room. Seeing him, the prince instantly remembered that his friend did tell him after the fighting practice that he would be spending the next couple of hours there.

Hiccup leaned onto the frames of the door with both his hands and Fishlegs looked up with confused eyes to see who had come to him in such a rush. When their eyes met, Fishlegs stood up in an instant after he saw Hiccup's alarmed face which meant serious business. The pieces of the prince's armour clanked loudly against each other as Fishlegs stood up from the barrel, and that ear-piercing sound made them both grimace for a second.

"What is it? Did you go see Princess Astrid?" his friend asked both worried and interested.

"No, not even close," Hiccup answered. He was still leaning onto the door frames with both his hands. "I need your help, it's about something very serious that I can't talk about here?"

"Alright, but how about your armour? Should I take it with me?" Fishlegs asked and pointed at the pile of metal with his hand that still had a polishing towel in its grasp.

"I don't care about that. I never even use that armour because it's very inconvenient when riding on Toothless. Just-just leave it there, I will order someone to put it back into its chest."

Fishlegs nodded in understanding – he must have realised that it truly was a serious matter they were dealing with now. Hiccup thought for a moment whether his friend already knew what this was about. He seemed to possess some creepy sixth sense with which he saw through the prince and could reel off words of wisdom after another. Fishlegs dropped the piece of cloth on the helmet and they dashed off. On their way to the safety of the castle walls, Hiccup seized one of the servants and told her to get the armour out of the way. The young serving girl only nodded and curtseyed, looking rather excited about the fact she had received orders from the prince himself.

When they were finally inside Hiccup's chambers, the guards closed the doors after them and for a short while the only sound filling the room was Fishleg's muffled panting from the fast pace and the climbing of many stairs.

"I have decided to help Astrid escape tonight," Hiccup said getting straight to the point. He found it useless to mince words in this situation; the sooner they started planning, the better.  
The look on Fishleg's face made it clear that he hadn't definitely expected the matter to be this. For a moment it seemed as though he didn't believe what his ears had heard and he was frantically trying to come up with alternate sentences that sounded similar, but meant different things.

"Excuse me, what? Where on earth did this come from?" he asked, his voice high-pitched from the astonishment.

"Dad wants to kill Astrid in Berk and if that is to happen, it will mean war. I somehow managed to buy us more time, but we need to act quickly if we want to dodge the upcoming war."

"Bu…but what made you change your mind so abruptly?" Fishlegs asked, still in awe.

"Astrid was the one to plant this thought into my head," Hiccup admitted shamefully. "But only after talking to Dad did I realise how much more we will benefit from Astrid alive than dead."

"Okay," Fishlegs said very slowly. "Have you come up with something already?"

The prince gave his friend a grateful look; he always seemed to realise when it wasn't the right time to shoot unnecessary questions in the air. Then Hiccup quickly shook his head from side to another. "Not really, just feeble parts of a plan that aren't enough to become whole. The only thing I know for sure is that I will be needing your help, for we will also have to fetch Astrid's dragon while I am trying to help her escape from the dungeon."

"The cell guards need to be lured out of there," Fishlegs said instantly. "I don't believe they will let you past them with a prisoner, even if you're the prince."

Hiccup nodded in approval and started pacing in front of his king-sized bed. He stared at his feet as his mind was thinking feverishly. How could two people ever succeed from a mission that required at least three persons? One should be there to keep the guards away while the other one released Astrid, and the third person would have to get her dragon. Well, if it was her dragon. If the cell guards spotted Astrid sneak out, the warning bells would go off instantly and they would have no chance at succeeding.

"Third person, third person…" Hiccup repeated in a silent voice, mostly to himself. "Who could be the third person?"

"Is there anybody in Berk that you can trust this much? If you're caught, only bad things will happen to you," Fishlegs stated, sounding uncertain. He was standing in the middle of the prince's chamber and was staring at the prince as he paced around like a headless chicken.

However, Hiccup stopped walking in circles and sat down on the edge of his bed. The wooden chest in which his armour was stored had been dragged out from underneath the bed, so Hiccup placed his feet on it and pressed his head against his knees.

Think, think, think.

Did it matter so much who he'd choose as his third companion? If someone tattled to the king about it, it would be the prince's word against theirs, which would mean that they would be banished from Berk. On the other hand, Hiccup didn't want to risk anyone's position within the castle for this either, so it felt wrong to force one more person into meddling with the mess he was about to create.

"How about Sir Fairfax?" the prince heard Fishlegs suggest somewhere in the corners of the chamber. Hiccup raised his head and startled, for he was expecting his friend to be much farther away than just a couple feet from him. He had apparently spoken so quietly that it had sounded like he had been on the other side of the prince's bedroom. "He's the knight you trust the most, isn't that right? I'm pretty sure that he would be glad to help you."

Hiccup considered Fishleg's proposal for a moment. Fairfax was always ready for any kind of madness, but he had never acted against the king's orders. The knight seemed to appreciate Stoick a lot, and it would probably be difficult for him to be part of such serious treason. But, on the other hand, he might be the only person in the whole of Berk who might agree to Hiccup's raving mad idea.

Suddenly the prince's brain started working again. "You're right, Fishlegs. We must find him, now."

* * *

Fairfax was slightly reluctant upon hearing the request, but after a moment he had warmed up to the thought. Understandably, he had been wondering how things would change for them if they were caught. Sir Fairfax had, however, been immensely interested in why Hiccup wanted to save Astrid from her certain death. The prince had never shared his thoughts with anybody but Fishlegs, which was why his desire to avoid war was a complete surprise to the knight.

As night fell, Hiccup felt nervous to say the least. He was once again about to put himself in a situation where so many things could go wrong. He had never done anything so serious that would lead to being banished from Berk. He didn't know if his father would go that far, but he didn't want to block out that possibility from his mind. The prince found small and selfish comfort in the fact that at least he would be accompanied by Fishlegs and Fairfax if their mission was to fail.

Hiccup and Fairfax met on top of the stairs that led to the dungeon. Fortunately, the part of the castle underneath which the cells were located was almost always deserted and it was rare to run into another soul there, especially during the night time.

"Thank you a million times for doing this, Fairfax," Hiccup said in a quiet voice. "I know that you're risking everything for me, and I seriously don't know how to thank you enough."

"What's a life without a bit of excitement?" the knight said in a cheerful tone and patted Hiccup on his back. His face and voice became graver as he continued: "I just hope you know what you're doing and this will turn out to be the right thing to do."

Hiccup made a face at that. The right thing to do. He had no idea if he had chosen the right or the wrong path, but he couldn't turn back anymore.

Much to their favour, the staircase to the cells descended away from the eyes of the guards which meant that they wouldn't see them before they turned around the corner. Hiccup tried his best to descend the stairs at the exact same pace as Fairfax so that it would sound like there was only one person on the stairs. The prince even tried not to breathe too loudly; he didn't want to risk the guards figuring out that Sir Fairfax wasn't alone.

When Fairfax disappeared behind the corner, Hiccup stayed on his spot and waited until the guards' attention was completely drawn to the knight. The prince had dressed up in clothes as dark as he could find, and his hooded cloak would hide him well in the shadows. The problem was that those ancient stairs were lit up by torches and there were no shadows around him. He couldn't hide now, if one of the guards decided to check the staircase, he would be spotted.

They hadn't discussed at all how Fairfax was going to deceive the guards but he had ensured Hiccup that he knew what he was doing.

"Hey there lads," Fairfax said in a perky voice and Hiccup heard two forceful slaps against fabric, followed by two answers which Hiccup couldn't make a single word out of. "I have two duties here to fulfil, and you're exactly the right persons to help me with them. First of all, I want you to take me to our beloved prisoner, I have some things to say to her."

Hiccup immediately understood that this was Fairfax's way of drawing their attention from the stairs. He felt how the coldness began to travel through his body; he had accidentally taken a shoe with holes in it and the strong cross-draught was now encroaching through his right boot to the entire body. He deeply wished that this wouldn't affect his attempt to sneak to the cells.

Without suspecting anything, the guards led Fairfax to Astrid, and the receding voices made Hiccup peek behind the corner. He knew that he would have to act quickly if he wanted to succeed. He came out of his hiding as quietly and quickly as he could with his metallic prosthetic leg on the stone floor.

Fairfax and the two guards had apparently reached Astrid's cell, for the knight began speaking in a loud, mocking voice: "Well, well, who is it there? Are you enjoying yourself? Good service, delicious food and so on?"

Once again Hiccup couldn't make out what Astrid's response to Fairfax was, but it was clear that contempt and tiredness were present in her voice. The prince grimaced; if Princess Astrid was exhausted, it would only mean that she wouldn't be able to flee as fast as Hiccup would've liked.

The prince now saw the trio completely, and if one of the guards were to look over his shoulder, he would instantly see Hiccup and his plans would be ruined. Nobody should be able to connect him with this, which was why it was vital that his presence would remain unknown. To his luck, they always kept the empty cells unlocked, so Hiccup sneaked into the nearest cell and backed away to lean onto the stone wall where no light was shed. His heart was beating fast and he was unable to concentrate on what Fairfax was telling Princess Astrid. The prince soon realised that if he didn't pay attention, he wouldn't know when Sir Fairfax would attempt to get the guards away from the cells.

"I came here under King's orders. He wanted me to tell you that you will be executed as soon as possible. I heard rumours that your death will be a very painful one, but I am sure you knew exactly what you signed up for when coming to Berk," Fairfax said and chuckled smugly. Hiccup made himself a mental note to remember to compliment the knight on his impressive acting skills. If they made it out of this mission alive, that is.

"I couldn't care less what you're going to do to me," Astrid hissed. "But just so you know that my father won't rest before he's had his revenge for this."

Fairfax let out a sardonic laugh at that, after which Hiccup saw him walk past the cell the prince himself was in. Instinctively, he pushed himself even harder against the stone wall while avoiding moving his prosthetic leg. The guards were at Fairfax's heels and they looked rather uncomfortable.

"And since that's out of the way, I have a small task for you," Hiccup heard Fairfax lie to the guards in a low voice which made the matter sound very important. He also spoke quietly; Hiccup would've definitely missed the knight's words had he not been just a couple feet from the trio. "The king wishes for your presence at the Throne Room, he has something to say to you and he wishes to do it face-to-face. Let's not keep the king waiting, shall we?"

"But how about the prisoner?" the other one asked hesitantly, though Hiccup couldn't not notice the little hint of hope that was breaking through the guard's voice. Anybody would be glad to have an excuse to get out of this place that was clearly abandoned by Thor, even if it was just for a short while.

"I will stand guard here in the meantime. The matter seemed urgent enough so I will gladly lower my position for a moment so that the king shall have what he wants."

It was silent for a while. All Hiccup could hear was his uneven breathing and the rattling of the bars a couple cells away.

"Go on now," Fairfax said sternly, and the guards finally went off.

Hiccup listened as the two guards walked towards the stairs, took the first step, the second step, the third step…until all the noise coming from them was gone. The prince didn't want to waste a single second, so he tore himself off the stone wall and literally ran to the cell Astrid Hofferson was in. He rummaged his pocket for the key to the cell; if there was one upside of being a prince, it was the fact that he had a copy of every single key that was used within the kingdom.

"What the– " Astrid yelped in surprise. "Who are you?"

Hiccup realised he still had the hood on, so he took it off with his hand while his other one was clumsily trying to unlock the door.

"Can you see anybody, Fairfax?" Hiccup whispered loudly enough for the knight to hear it.

"No," he only said.

"You," Astrid said with no colour in her voice. "I thought you wouldn't come."

Hiccup looked up from the lock and his eyes met Astrid's who was standing right on the other side of the bars, next to the cell door. "Trust me, this is the last place I wish to be at the moment," he replied. The door was unlocked and the prince yanked it open. "Come, we must act quickly before they realise you've escaped!"

Astrid hesitated only for a split second before she nodded and they both rushed out of the cell. Next they would be facing the most challenging part; how to sneak the princess out under so many peering eyes.

"Sir," Hiccup heard Fairfax call out after them. The prince came to a halt reluctantly and looked over his shoulder. The knight was undressing his dark blue cloak which he then threw at Hiccup who caught it with ease. "So that you both can hide."

"Thank you, Fairfax," Hiccup answered gratefully and flirted the cloak over to Astrid. She put it on quickly and when the princess had the hood on, they were off again and ascended the stairs. Neither of them watched out for the stairs despite their poor condition, and luckily they didn't trip over.

There was nobody atop of the staircase. Hiccup heard Fairfax going up the stairs, but they didn't have time to wait for the knight.

"Come," Hiccup whispered loudly to Astrid and pointed towards the direction in which they should run. "Stay at my heels and avoid any kind of light."

Astrid let out a quiet laughter at that. "Do you honestly think that I've never lurked in the shadows? I probably do it more often than you do."

The prince didn't answer, for they had to move forward as silently as possible. When his prosthetic leg was making loud, echoing noises, Hiccup cursed his stupidity under his breath. Why hadn't he wrapped some fabric around it so that it would muffle the sound? Fortunately they would be soon out of the castle, after which they would continue on grass and gravel.

It all went surprisingly smoothly, and Hiccup started to feel suspicious because of it. How long would it be until the guards returned to the dungeon and noticed Princess Astrid's absence? He sure hoped that would happen when they weren't literally in the middle of Berk.

They ran behind some villager's house and leaned against its wall. Avoiding the windows, from which some light was reflecting on the grass, Hiccup walked to the corner of the house and peeked. He could see nobody.

"Well?" Astrid's voice said in a questioning tone. Hiccup just shook his head to let her know that there was no one.

That didn't mean they could go yet, though. He knew that there were guards around this part of the kingdom grounds, and they patrolled a certain circle. They couldn't leave their spot before Hiccup saw them disappear behind the stalls of the marketplace; their route would cross with the guards' route, which was why they had to wait. He had no idea how recently they had visited the part of the circle that Hiccup could now see, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

Astrid didn't know that, though, so Hiccup's heart skipped a couple beats when he heard her say: "Alright, let's go then."

"No!" he yelped almost shouting as the girl went past him. He grabbed her hand forcefully to pull her back to the safety of the wooden wall of the house. He could instantly feel how her hands were like solid ice from spending such a long time down in the cells.

When he pulled her from the hand, she wasn't clearly expecting that so she lost her balance and her body collided with Hiccup's who was leaning against the wall. They were so taken aback by the unexpected moment that for a few seconds they just stared at each other, their hands still intertwined. Astrid's eyes were widened from the shock and even though it was dark, for the first time Hiccup noticed that her eyes were blue. Her entire body seemed frozen to the core, the coldness radiated through the two layers of clothing they were wearing.

It seemed they both realised what was happening since they both backed away at the same time. Well, the prince couldn't do that because the wall was there to stop him, but he tried his very best to make sure that his hand would be nowhere near that princess anymore, so he put it behind his back.

"You can't do that without my permission!" he hissed at Astrid. "I am the one who knows this place like the back of my hand, and you need to follow my lead if you still want to be alive in the morning! What were you thinking?"

Astrid was silent during the time she situated herself next to Hiccup by the wall. When the prince looked at her face, he noticed she was trying to hide it behind the hood of the cloak. "I wasn't," she finally said in a quiet voice and Hiccup almost missed it.

"Why doesn't that surprise me at all?" he replied disdainfully. Stupid Briralians. No wonder their princess was currently at the mercy of their worst enemy.

"I always get so excited when sneaking out, I guess that for a second I forgot where I was and what situation I was in," she explained herself and sounded apologetic.

He sighed. If it was any other time, he would've made sure to lecture that girl, but since they really were in a rush, he didn't think it so important to do that. "Just…don't do it again, I still want to be a prince after tonight," he said in a serious voice. "We need to wait until the guards come and go, only then we can go."

The princess nodded in understanding. Hiccup peeked behind the corner again and to his satisfaction, he saw the receding backs of the guards. They were about 20 feet from the spot where they would be turning to the right.

"Okay, let's go slowly," the prince said, putting as much emphasis as he could on the last word without being too loud.

And they were off again. They sneaked behind barrels of fish, carts and they sought safety from the shadows of buildings. They stayed behind a broken cart that appeared to have some sacks of vegetables and potatoes piled up on it, which provided a perfect shelter for the two as they stalked the guards.

"What made you change your mind?" Astrid asked in a silent whisper. Hiccup tore his eyes off the guards and looked at the princess with a confused frown. "You know, about me," she added and pointed at her chest in case Hiccup didn't hear her.

"I wanted to avoid the consequences of executing you. And I guess you haven't done anything to deserve to die just now," Hiccup replied but he avoided looking at Astrid as he spoke.  
"Will you be giving me my Stormfly back?"

Hiccup nodded slowly. "My servant will be bringing her to us. The path is clear now, let's go."

Stealthily they went on, dodging every possible rock on the ground to avoid making any noise. The guards were nowhere to be seen now, which meant that as long as nobody else crossed their path, they would have a safe passage to the next stop where Fishlegs would be waiting with Toothless and the dragon Astrid claimed to be hers.

They would meet near the underground tunnel that was a secret passage into and out of the kingdom walls. It was the only passageway that wasn't guarded and Hiccup knew of. When they approached said meeting point, Fishlegs indeed was there. So was Toothless. But the other dragon wasn't there. This was alarming.

"Where's the other one?" Hiccup asked his friend and looked frantically around in case the dragon was hiding somewhere.

"She wouldn't let me come close to her! I tried to do the hand thing you told me about but it didn't work, and I couldn't cause too much noise in case somebody was to hear me." Fishlegs said it all really, really fast and it sounded like he had been revising his words while waiting for the two royals to appear.

Astrid snorted next to Hiccup. "You clearly didn't try hard enough, how lousy of you," she said and crossed her hands across her chest. She looked at Fishlegs with a very threatening glare that made him back away a few steps. Toothless growled silently.

"You don't talk to him like that," Hiccup said crossly. The princess moved her attention to the prince and stared at him disbelievingly.

"But he's a servant, why do you care?" she asked as if Fishlegs wasn't there.

"Of course I care, and this makes me feel sorry for your servant, she must hate her life because of you," the prince answered dryly and walked over to Toothless who was still giving dangerous glares in Astrid's direction. When Hiccup glanced at the princess, she was just standing there in stunned silence, looking in between Hiccup, Toothless and Fishlegs. The prince then turned his attention to his friend. "We don't have time to go get her. So this leaves us with only one option."

"Which is…?" Fishlegs asked unsurely.

"She has to leave without the dragon," Hiccup stated simply.

"What?" Astrid cried out and Hiccup shushed at her. She lowered her voice: "I'm not leaving without her!"

"It's either that or certain death, it's up for you to decide," the prince replied.

"I would rather die than live another minute without Stormfly!" Astrid hissed and crossed her arms again. Hiccup rolled his eyes so hard they were probably close to falling off his eye sockets.  
The warning bell rang. The sudden sound of it alerted them all, and it seemed as though they all realised the situation they were in.

"Now is your last chance, you either leave or stay here and be captured again!" Hiccup said hastily. He wanted to get out of here before anyone realised to look for Astrid from here.

Even in the darkness, Hiccup could see the hesitation in the princess' eyes. She looked sad and scared, also nervous and frustrated. Somehow all of those emotions could be read from her facial expression.

"Alright then," she said quietly, in a sort of defeated tone. "Let's go."

Without exchanging other words, they walked into the tunnel and Hiccup got on Toothless. He reached out his arm for Astrid to take so that he could pull her behind him. The second the princess was sitting on the Night Fury, he sprinted off as fast as he could. They couldn't fly in the tunnel, it was way too narrow to spread out wings.

"Close your eyes," Hiccup demanded and didn't leave any room for discussion.

"Why on earth would I do that?" Astrid asked confused.

"Because I don't want you to remember this route."

He could only hear her exasperated sigh, and since she didn't argue, Hiccup could only assume she had closed her eyes. He couldn't turn around to look as he had to concentrate on navigating through the tunnel. It would've been pitch black if it weren't for Toothless' plasma that he kept on shooting every once in a while to see where they were going.

Even in the tunnel the warning bell could be heard. Hiccup had never liked the sound of it, because hearing it could only mean that nasty things were happening in Berk. Now, however, he liked it even less because he was part of the reason it was ringing in the first place. The voices of knights couldn't yet be heard within the tunnel, but the prince knew it was only a matter of time that the kingdom was searched within its walls and they would also enter this dark, damp place. A few drops of water landed on Hiccup's cheeks from time to time and whenever they did, the sudden contact made him jump a little. Toothless galloped forward, and it wouldn't be long until they reached the end of the tunnel.

After a couple of minutes, they were at the end. The passage was sealed with bars that would prevent any intruders from entering the kingdom grounds, but the metal wasn't as strong and high quality as the one they used in the dungeon. It should be nothing that Toothless' powerful plasma blast couldn't handle.

All colour drained from Hiccup's face when he heard the knights inside the tunnel. He didn't know where they were, but since it was the first time the prince heard them, he could only assume that they were at the start, and the trio was at the end.

But the problem was that all the knights could recognise the sound of Toothless' plasma blast. It was impossible to tell whether they would hear the dragon shoot.

"They're on us!" Astrid said in a whisper.

"Yes, I can hear that," Hiccup replied. The end of the tunnel was right in front of them and they approached it at a steady speech. "Toothless, now!"

There was a bright flash of light and a big bang that ran in Hiccup's ears. The echo travelled along the tunnel and the prince was certain that the knights had heard the plasma blast, for the sounds behind them grew louder and it sounded as though they were moving forward even faster. Thankfully the bars were now gone for the most part and they had an open exit out of the tunnel.

The second they were outside, Toothless shot up in the air and Hiccup could hear Astrid let out a muffled scream out of surprise. Berk's borders were about a ten-minute ride from the kingdom walls, so it wouldn't be long until their mission was at its end. Hiccup was pleased by how smoothly it all had gone.

The prince turned around to look at Astrid. Her cloak was blowing in the wind and after a while, it was the only sound around them. The princess had her eyes fixed on the ground, but once she felt Hiccup's stare she looked up. Hiccup turned away and focused on what was ahead of them. He listened hard for any sounds of other flying dragons, and he wasn't sure if the absence of the shouts of Berk's knights made him more relieved or nervous.

He had a specific spot for landing in mind. It would be a mile from their borders and it was close to a path that would lead Astrid through the forest that would grant her a safer escape. He was also planning to use the forest to sneak back into the kingdom walls unnoticed and he could stay hidden there until he came up with a believable excuse as to why he hadn't been helping the knights to catch the princess of Briral.

It wasn't long until he saw the landing spot. He told Toothless to land which the dragon did without making any sound. Hiccup got off the Night Fury and waited for Astrid to do the same. When both their feet were on the ground, she looked at him with an expression the prince wasn't sure how to read. It seemed as though she was expecting something to happen.

"This is where Berk's borders end, so you'll be on your own now," the prince said and was already about to hop back on the back of his dragon. He wasn't intending to linger for long now that his task was finished.

"Are you serious?" Astrid said incredulously. "You think I am going to go to Briral by foot? It's half a day ride with a dragon, I don't even want to begin to imagine how long it would take by walking."

Hiccup wanted to argue and he had already opened his mouth and turned around, but he stopped himself before a single word was out of him. When he thought about it, he realised there was truth to the words the princess had said. Besides, there was no way she wouldn't be captured by the knights of Berk if she were to go on that slowly. Even now they probably only had a minute or two to spare until someone would spot them.

The prince's insides sank to the bottom of his stomach as he came to realise that the only way to get out of this messy situation was to dive into another, even messier situation. How was he ever going to explain this to his father? Prince of Berk and Princess of Briral gone during the same night, that would drive the king out of his right mind.

Hiccup closed his eyes. "For the love of Thor," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Why me? Why does it always have to be me?"

"Well?" Astrid's voice said. She apparently hadn't heard his self-loathing, and Hiccup was very grateful for that.

He raised his head to meet Astrid's eyes. He sighed heavily as he said: "Alright then, I will take you to Briral."


	10. Too Close

"You will?" Astrid asked in disbelief. She stared at Hiccup with eyes wide. "Am I hearing things or did you just agree to take me home?"

"There aren't that many options for me unless I want my attempt to avoid war to be unsuccessful."

The princess studied Hiccup in the dark for a moment as though to see if there was any change in his features that would tell he wasn't being serious.

"Well, that certainly was quick," she finally said, still surprise clear in her voice. "I thought I would have to…never mind."

Hiccup raised his eyebrow at her unfinished sentence, but knowing how little time they had, he didn't tell her to elaborate. He hopped back on Toothless and waited for Astrid to do the same. The prince reached out his hand once more so that the princess could grab it for support. Her hands hadn't warmed up even one bit.

As Astrid was about to get on Toothless, Hiccup realised how unfitting his clothes were for this; he hadn't prepared for his journey to go on further than the borders of Berk, so he hadn't put on his flight suit – instead he had chosen the darkest pieces of clothing he could find from the depths of his wardrobe. At least the princess was wearing her own flight suit which Hiccup still hadn't gotten a proper look at. The only thing he had noted was it was nothing like he had expected to see on a princess. It was…the furthest from princess-clothing. Did she ever wear dresses inside the castle? She wasn't anything like other princesses Hiccup had met in his life. Others would have never risked their lives for a dragon, most probably didn't even know how to ride one. As far as the prince knew, the only duty a princess had was to train herself to become a queen, but it was obvious that Princess Astrid wasn't about that life. Hiccup wasn't sure if that made him uncomfortable or interested.

No, definitely not interested.

Once Astrid was securely on Toothless, the dragon darted towards the woods.

"Aren't you going to fly?" Astrid shouted behind him, trying to make her voice heard through the sound of Toothless' paws breaking all fallen branches and hitting the dry grass.

"I need to think and come up with something to act on before I move an inch towards Briral. Toothless will take us to a place in the woods where we can't be seen," Hiccup explained, his mind focused on the path ahead of them. He tried to listen for any sounds that might come from Berk's knights, but that turned out to be impossible.

Astrid didn't reply, or Hiccup just couldn't hear it, and they didn't exchange another word after that. It wasn't long until they were at the spot the prince had in his mind, so the silence didn't last long enough for it to become awkward.

There was a large rock at the edge of the woods, and its bottom was completely covered in bushes and other plants. The large trees and their leaves blocked the view from the sky, and there was a small and narrow cave that was still large enough for the three of them to fit in. The only reason Hiccup knew of this place was because of the maps he had to do. When he had drawn that rock on the map of this area, he had decided to keep the fact that it was the perfect hiding spot completely to himself. Back then it was something he just didn't find important to mention, but right now he was mentally worshipping the past him for doing that.

When they were by the entrance, they both got off Toothless. Hiccup wordlessly motioned towards the cave and Astrid looked at it for a few seconds before nodding. They walked in a crouch inside it, followed by the Night Fury that filled almost the entire space.

Both Hiccup and Astrid sat down on the wet ground. The prince hugged his knees and pressed his forehead against them, trying to get his brain to work. He was running on very little sleep; last night he didn't sleep because the princess sitting next to him messed up with his mind, and it didn't seem like he would be getting any sleep tonight either. He hoped his tiredness wouldn't be obvious because he didn't want Astrid to realise how big of an effect she had had on him with her words.

What should he do? He didn't think any of the options he had at hand were particularly good, which made him think whether this was worth all the trouble after all. Sure, if Astrid didn't die in Berk, there wouldn't be the most bloodthirsty war known to mankind, but did it really make that big of a difference? If the only heir to the throne of Briral died, the kingdom would be doomed anyway.

But there was truth to what he had said to Astrid when they were still within Berk's walls. She hadn't done anything to deserve to die like that. She had only come after something she cared about, and she seemed really honest about everything she said, which meant that there wasn't anything malicious in her intentions. She only wanted to have a civilised talk with Hiccup, however questionable her way of reaching him was.

The prince didn't have the slightest clue how he would be explaining this to Stoick. Hiccup was the one in the lead when the warning bell went off and he was supposed to tell the knights and guards how they would separate and which parts of the kingdom grounds they'd search. His absence wouldn't go unnoticed, and the fact that he, his dragon and the princess of Briral disappeared at the same time sounded alarming even in his ears. It would still be at least a day until he was back in Berk, and that was just enough time for his father to assume the worst of things and declare another war on Briral.

He truly was on the black list of the gods.

"What are you thinking of?" he heard Astrid speak. Hiccup had no idea how long they had been silent, but apparently it had been long enough for him to be startled by the appearance of the princess' voice.

The prince raised his head slightly to look at Astrid. He couldn't see much though as the night was moonless and no light was shed on the cave. He needed to wait a couple moments before his eyes adjusted to the darkness again. Toothless had his back on them and he was looking outside, his ears twitching in search of unwanted sounds.

"This situation is just so messed up. No matter what we end up doing, things will end badly."

Astrid didn't say anything for a while, but even in the dark Hiccup could tell that she was thinking on his words. When she finally spoke, it was in a low and sad voice: "I guess you're right. We can't go back now because Berk is swarming with knights, so we can't get to Stormfly tonight." She sighed loudly and placed her chin on her knees while staring at the back of Toothless absent-mindedly. "I've never been separated from Stormfly this long."

Hiccup couldn't stop himself from asking: "If what you say is true and she is yours, why did she come with our dragons when she has a bond with you?"

"There must have been something in that trap she stepped on, probably some poison or venom of an animal because she hasn't been the same since. She was supposed to be checked on the day after you attacked, but… oh, Stormfly, you chose the worst time to not let a stranger come to you!"

"You waited almost a week until you decided to seek for help?" Hiccup asked, raising his eyebrow.

The princess turned her attention from Toothless to the prince. He couldn't see the expression on her face, so he was slightly taken aback when she spoke. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was a clear mixture of hurt and anger: "You don't know anything so don't act like you're in a position to judge me."

Hiccup blinked and looked at the girl questioningly. So far Astrid had maintained her calmness so well that he thought it was the only emotion flowing in her veins, but something about the subject had stung her deeply. He couldn't help wanting to know more, but as he was about to speak up, he realised that he still hadn't decided on what to do.

Astrid seemed to have been thinking the same, for she spoke before Hiccup's brain even commanded his mouth to move: "Is this forest safe?" Her voice was almost back to normal, though it sounded much stiffer than what the prince was used to.

"It doesn't belong to any kingdom if that's what you're asking," he responded. "The closest kingdom is Berk and we're only a couple miles from it, but that doesn't make it safe for us as you're an escaped prisoner and I am currently practising treason."

"What would your father do if he found out?" Astrid asked as if that was a question Hiccup should've been expecting.

"You should know what happens when someone is guilty of treason. If I'm lucky, I would be hanged, if not, I would be banished. Either way, my father would hate me for the rest of his life. However, I don't suppose we have much time until we're found here, so a plan needs to be made and quickly."

"What if you go and get Stormfly while I wait here?" Astrid suggested. "You entering Berk is, you know, expected."

"My father would never let me go if he found out that I have returned home. It's also too risky."

"We could both enter Berk, I hide myself in the stables and when nobody's around, I will take my dragon and fly off."

"That's just stupid, and you'd be caught immediately. It will take a few days until the king orders the knights and guards back to their own positions and I don't have time to keep you hidden for that long, so you re-entering is out of question."

"So, what do you suggest then?" she asked.

Now it was Hiccup's turn to swift his gaze towards Toothless to think. It looked like the dragon wasn't paying any attention to them, but the prince knew better; the Night Fury was incredibly clever and Toothless was capable of studying his surroundings while listening to what was happening around him. Hiccup knew that his dragon was following every word of the conversation between the royals.

As Hiccup thought, he noted how the damp ground had made his bottom all wet, and how the chilliness of the cave was starting to get to his bones. Although he was good at handling coldness – it was Berk he lived in after all – he always chose to not be purposefully cold if he had a choice to make, so that made it clear that they couldn't stay in that cave for much longer.

Suddenly Toothless let out a muffled growl. Both Hiccup and Astrid snapped their heads towards the cave entrance and listened hard. They could hear footsteps and flapping of dragons' wings somewhere nearby and knights speaking to one another. The prince could recognise most of the voices. Now he hoped that the dragons they were using wouldn't have good noses because it wouldn't be difficult to track down such a unique species like a Night Fury.

Hiccup wished the cave was deeper so that they could hide themselves better, but they were already at the back and it was almost too small for Toothless to fit in completely. The prince knew that they wouldn't find them if they didn't know to look for the cave, but he also knew that Berk's knights would leave no part of the forest uncovered.

"Oh my gods," Astrid whispered so silently there was barely any sound. "Oh my–"

She was cut off by Hiccup's hand that he pressed against her mouth to silence her. He kept it there for a few seconds before Astrid grabbed it with her own hand and forcefully jerked it away.

They sat still, holding their breaths and waiting for something to happen. At times it felt like the voices were fading, but the next moment it felt as though they were closer than ever before. After a moment Hiccup realised that the knights had split which was why the voices seemed to come from all directions. From the sounds of it, the prince assumed there were approximately five knights and a dragon for each.

If a person could die from stress, he was sure he would drop dead any second.

It felt like the knights were lingering around far too long. Hiccup had a wild thought that they knew they were hiding in the cave and were just waiting for them to come out sooner or later. In reality, he hadn't the slightest clue how much time had passed, but it for sure felt like a small eternity. He was thankful about the fact that Toothless was an incredibly wise dragon that realised the seriousness of the situation – many other dragons would've sprinted out of the cave to greet their dragon friends, but the Night Fury didn't move a muscle and remained silent.

There were footsteps really close to the cave entrance now. Hiccup felt trapped in the small space and panic began bubbling inside him as he tried to press harder against the back of the cave. He wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing, for his eyes were glued to the entrance he saw just a small glimpse of due to the size of his dragon. There was no way that the knight wouldn't notice the cave from where he was now.

Hiccup feverishly thought of excuses that would explain why he was with their prisoner and, more importantly, why she was still alive. His other hand was ghosting on the handle of his sword that was attached to his belt from the scabbard. His body felt suddenly very warm which was probably caused by the adrenaline. The prince felt his heart against his ribcage, and it was a wonder that the sound that came out of it wasn't enough to catch the knight's attention.

They could see his legs. Then he crouched down to look inside the cave. It was Sir Fairfax. Hiccup wanted to cry out of relief, but he kept himself together. He removed his hand from his sword and tried to calm himself down as he stared at Fairfax.

It was so dark they couldn't see each other properly, but the knight seemed to have understood what was going on, for he stood up without saying a word to them.

"Nothing here, how about on the other side of the rock?" they heard Sir Fairfax shout to another knight.

"Nothing here, either," another voice answered.

"I wasn't expecting her to stay this close to Berk. Let's move towards west, she's most likely trying to get back to Briral. She doesn't have a dragon with her, so let's keep on searching the forest," Fairfax said and received responses of agreement.

That was a hidden clue. Sir Fairfax had given them a way to move forward without being noticed. While the knights were on the ground, they'd be up in the air.

Only when the sounds of the knights and their dragons had completely faded could Hiccup breathe freely again. He felt his senses return to his body and his heartbeat was slowly going back to normal. The prince looked to his side and realised that Astrid and his bodies were, once again, pressed against each other, but this time it was just their sides that were touching. There wasn't any room for him to move away from the princess because she had pushed herself so tightly against him that his other, Astrid-free side, was now leaning on the other cave wall.

Hiccup coughed. Astrid looked at him with dilated eyes, still distraught from being almost caught. The prince dropped his gaze on their sides, then looked at Astrid again.

"Wha–" she began as she looked down, "Oh!" what was came out of her mouth when she moved herself as far from Hiccup as she could in the narrow cave.

They crawled out of their hiding place and looked around them. It was now dead silent everywhere, the only sound came from the wind that was blowing through the hardwood trees.

"I think there's only one solution that could work," Hiccup said, finally answering Astrid's question. She turned her head in a blur to look at the prince. "I will take you to Briral. On the way we can figure out how to deliver that dragon to you."

Astrid nodded slowly as she thought about his suggestion. "Sounds good. And please, her name is Stormfly, you may use it."

"Calling her that is like admitting that she's yours."

"She is."

"You know that your words don't hold much value to me, don't you?"

Astrid sighed and dropped the subject at that. "So, how will we go on from here?"

"We will fly."

"By the edge of the woods. There we can seek shelter from the forest if we see any dragon riders in the air."

Hiccup nodded. "Precisely, that's what I was thinking too. They think you don't have a dragon on you so they will search the ground."

"So they won't probably even know to look at the sky!" Astrid said triumphantly and her face split into a small smile.

"Yep," the prince answered shortly. "Let's go."

"Aww, look at us," the princess said in an almost-mocking tone which made Hiccup turn around to look at her with a questioning look. "We're already cooperating."

The prince rolled his eyes. "Just…shut up."

Astrid let out another 'aww' before they climbed on Toothless and began their journey towards the edge of the woods and Briral.

* * *

**Let me know what you think of this story so far! Your comments and support mean the world to me and they keep me super motivated :)**


	11. Small Steps

**To the guest that left a review about Hiccup not asking about the dragons: haha that was actually something that just was so obvious in my head that I didn't think to include it. Thanks for bringing that up, it's now included in this chapter! :)**

* * *

The journey ahead was long for two persons that had some very bad and stinky air between each other. Even before they were off, Hiccup expected for them to be silent for the most part. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, he just didn't have anything to say. He didn't want to ask too many questions because it would only mean that Astrid would have the right to ask just as many and he'd have to answer.

The less they knew about each other, the better.

The silence preserved until they were at the edge of the woods. Toothless made sure to stay just above the tips of the trees. He never touched them so nobody below would be paying attention to trees that were moving against the wind, but he was close enough for them to dive back into the safety of the woods if there was anyone they needed to avoid in the sky.

"This is pretty crazy," he heard Astrid's voice state behind him. "I didn't think I would ever end up in a situation like this."

Hiccup didn't answer. He, too, found it unbelievable how his life had led him to the point where he was guiding his archenemy home. He couldn't even begin to comprehend how much unluckiness had been thrown at him in such a short time span. He silently wondered if there was anybody else in this flat world that was in as sticky a situation as he was.

The prince's silence apparently led Astrid to believe that she hadn't spoken loud enough for him to hear her, for the next time she spoke, there was much more volume in her voice; "Are you afraid to go back to Berk after this?"

"No," Hiccup replied but he didn't think it sounded convincing. "Well, as long as nobody figures out that it was me who helped you escape, I should be fine."

Astrid was silent for a while. It frustrated Hiccup that he couldn't see the princess so he couldn't tell for sure what she was doing right now. Was she thinking? Was she about to fall asleep? She could've also been plotting a way to kill Hiccup right there and he wouldn't have the slightest clue about it because he was basically blind.

A voice of reason resonated at the back of Hiccup's mind. She had had plenty of opportunities to kill him by now, some that had been far better than this one. Nevertheless, he might have been unfamiliar with Astrid's brain, but it didn't seem like it was made of wood so the chances that her plan was to end his days on a dragon that swore loyalty to none other than the prince were close to non-existent.

"I am afraid to return to Briral," she admitted, and Hiccup raised his eyebrows in confusion.

What a confession.

"Why?"

"I stole a dragon, I was captured, I've been gone for several days and I am here without my dad's permission. Nobody in Briral knows where I am."

"Wait, you didn't tell anybody?"

"That's correct."

"But why?"

"My father has his ways of getting the information out of anybody, and I didn't want him to find out where I was heading to. He'd have gone after me with an entire army at his heels, which is something we're both trying to avoid here, isn't it?"

It took Hiccup a while to take in what the princess had told him. What she had done was incredibly brave, even the prince had to admit that; anyone else would've surely told at least somebody about their plans so they would be searched in the right place. That was yet another thing that made Astrid Hofferson very different from the other princesses he had ever met. Was there anything about that girl that was ordinary?

"That's…that was unexpected," Hiccup admitted, not even bothering to conceal how impressed he was.

Astrid said something, but the prince couldn't hear her, for the sound of the wind was howling in his ears way too loudly. Another silence fell between them and it gave Hiccup time to think. He had so many questions he would've wanted to ask the princess. Questions that weren't anyhow related to Briral, but Astrid herself. It was obvious that her differing nature made her interesting to him, but he didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to know more about Princess of Briral when just a couple days ago he was fine with not knowing what she even looked like. This bothered him because he didn't want to give voice to his questions. Why would he expect her to answer them when he wasn't willing to share any details about himself?

When he came to think of it, Astrid hadn't asked him any personal questions. Perhaps she was thinking along the same lines and she didn't want to reveal anything about herself either. Admitting to be scared of going back home wasn't personal.

In the end, Hiccup couldn't remain quiet and he decided to ask the princess something he probably should've asked her a long time ago: "Why did Briral take our dragons in their last attack?"

Astrid didn't answer immediately. "I don't know," she said uncertainly.

"You don't know?" Hiccup asked, totally taken aback by the response. "So you mean there was no reason behind it?"

"No, no, there definitely was some plan. But I am the princess, Hiccup, they don't tell me about things like war because I am expected to be uninterested. The only responsibility I have is to look pretty and learn to become a respectable queen, because that's what a woman's role is and will always be in the royal court."

"But that's wrong," Hiccup blurted out with a frown even though Astrid couldn't see that.

"You think so?" she asked in a surprised, high-pitched tone. "Do you have it different in Berk?"

"I…don't know. There's never been any women in the royal court during my time. But it shouldn't be that way."

For whatever reason, Astrid didn't respond anything to that. Hiccup assumed she was thinking about his words again. Since the prince didn't have anything to say, he stayed silent, too, and they went on with their journey without uttering another word for a while.

It was known across the country that Hiccup's mother, Valka Haddock, had died giving birth to him. News about the death of a royal always travelled fast and according to Gobber's words, it had only taken a week for their allies to visit Berk and express their condolences after Queen of Berk had deceased. Stoick never talked about Valka and everything the prince knew about his mother was what his father's advisor had told him along the years. It was still a sensitive subject to Stoick; whenever the former queen was brought up in a conversation, the king got very tense and stopped talking until the subject was changed.

"Are there many things you'd like to change when you're King?" Astrid asked, her voice sounding genuinely curious.

"My father wouldn't approve of me changing the rules," Hiccup stated. He didn't want to get too deep into that subject with the princess.

"Do you want to be like your father?" she asked.

"Where's this coming from?"

"Do you?"

"No one can be like my father," Hiccup said with a hint of pride in his voice.

And it was true. Stoick was considered one of the greatest leaders Berk had ever seen, and it could be seen from the amount of respect everyone in the kingdom had for their king. The prince didn't know how he had managed to do that, but at least he knew that he would only dream of achieving such greatness during his time of reign.

"Why do you care so much about whether what you do is up to your father's satisfaction?" Astrid asked, still maintaining that genuinely-interested tone.

Hiccup felt suddenly annoyed by the questions the girl was firing at him, so when he spoke, his voice came out much harsher than he had intended: "Why-why do you care? I'm not going to pour my heart out to you, and it really is none of your business."

"I just want to understand you."

"Why would you want to understand me? We aren't friends, we're not allies. In fact, we hate each other."

"I don't hate you," Astrid said without missing a beat.

"What?" Hiccup said confusedly, and it took him all his willpower to not spin around on the saddle to look at the princess that was sitting behind him.

"How could I? I mean, you already saved my life once, and now you're saving my life for the second time. You helped me with Stormfly in the woods. I certainly don't like you because your attitude is sometimes really frustrating, but I can never go back to hating you."

Hiccup was speechless. What was he supposed to say to that?

He didn't know what he felt, was the thing. He didn't know if he would feel hatred towards the princess if his mind weren't so occupied by all the questions he had for her, or if she were just an ordinary princess that was expected to whine if the silk on her dress got wrinkles. The prince needed some alone time to clear his thoughts, but unfortunately such luxury had not walked past him for a couple of days.

They didn't talk much after Astrid's declaration. Hiccup noticed how the atmosphere had changed though – he could no longer feel the bad air between them. He kept thinking back to her words, especially the part where she had said his attitude was frustrating. What had she been expecting?

Hiccup had been pretty content with what his life was like, what with obeying his father, hating Briral for whatever reason, trying to live up to the expectations. That was just three days ago, and now he was going against everything his life had been about. Did she honestly expect him to not have issues with that?

Hours passed by and the morning was dawning upon them. The first rays of the sun could already be spotted in the horizon and the very few bird species that stuck around for the cold Autumn weathers started chirping cheerfully. It really would've been the perfect morning if Hiccup could've woken up to it on his own bed. Now he was miles and miles from the warmth of his bed and he most certainly didn't get to _wake up_ to this view. He was pretty sure he'd fall asleep on his way back to Berk. He was so sleep deprived that it took him a while to register his surroundings.

"We're getting really close," Astrid said loudly. She didn't sound tired at all. "I think we should find somewhere we can land to avoid you getting caught."

Toothless flew for a short while until they found a small river that was in a valley. Astrid said that it was half a mile from the borders of Briral and nobody ever used it, so they'd be safe there and Toothless could drink some water and catch a few fish from the river. They landed there silently and they got off the Night Fury. Hiccup looked around, his head turning in every direction as he tried to take in the landscape. It really was a beautiful view, and the morning sun made it even prettier.

"So, what's the plan?" Astrid asked.

"Huh?" Hiccup said stupidly and turned to look at Astrid. His brain wasn't working properly.

"How am I getting my dragon back?" she cleared and put her hand on her hips. "I was thinking that the only way to do it is to meet somewhere in the middle, but the problem is that I'm not very familiar with the lands as I'm never allowed to venture outside of Briral's borders."

Hiccup thought for a moment before agreeing: "Yeah, I suppose that's the only way to do it." He turned his attention to Toothless who was eagerly gulping the water from the river. Hiccup felt bad for making his dragon do such a long journey without a warning. He then looked back at Astrid who was now staring at the ground in thought. "Are you sure you can get yourself a dragon for the journey?"

She raised her head to meet Hiccup's eyes. She nodded determinedly. "I will do whatever it takes to get Stormfly back, so I'm not afraid of stealing a dragon from my father."

"You're planning to take your father's dragon?" He asked in disbelief.

"All the dragons in Briral are his," she explained. "Except for Stormfly."

The prince nodded slowly. That was another thing where their kingdoms differed. In Berk, noblemen were given a dragon of their own because the Dragon Trainers had said that the bond between the rider and the dragon was very important and would help them in their war against Briral.

"About that place where we'll meet," Hiccup began and looked at the horizon as if the answer lied there. "On the way I saw this huge cliff by the sea. Do you know the place where the sea is very close to the route we took?"

Astrid closed her eyes and her expression hardened as she tried to recall the route. That was when Hiccup realised that this was the first time he saw Astrid in daylight. Sure, he had seen her in the Throne Room, but that wasn't the moment to take a proper look at her.

Her hair was blonde and sun-kissed, which probably meant that she spent a lot of time outside. It was neatly braided – though now it was rather messy from her time in the dungeons and the journey they took – and it rested on her shoulder. She wasn't tall but she wasn't short either, Hiccup assumed she was a few inches shorter than him.

Her outfit was really nothing like the prince had ever seen. There were skulls on her belt, her hood was completely made of fur and some leather and the clothing wrapped around her arms seemed to be of the same materials. She was wearing a red shirt and a brown skirt that also had some fur on it.

The prince had noticed that what Astrid was wearing was unusual, but now that he actually could see her in daylight, he was surprised beyond words.

She was pretty, there was no question about that. Hiccup didn't need to like her to admit it.

"It was like two hours after we passed the woods?" Astrid asked thoughtfully.

Hiccup darted his eyes up from her outfit and nodded. "That's the one. Do you think you know how to get there?"

"I think so," she replied slowly, still in thought. "If not, I'll just follow the coastline."

"Let's meet there after a week's time."

"A week?" Astrid repeated questioningly. "Why not earlier?"

"Once I'm back in Berk, my father won't let me go anywhere for days. I'll be glued to his side. That is if he's not already on his way to Briral when I get there."

Astrid made grimaced at that. "I see. Of course he'd be using the first opportunity he can to attack my kingdom."

"Your father would've done the same if he had any clue where you've been," Hiccup responded bluntly.

The princess just shrugged. They agreed on meeting on that cliff in a week, and after letting Toothless finish the fish he had caught, Hiccup made his way towards the dragon so that he could begin his journey back to Berk. The Night Fury was getting too little rest, but at least they were on the same sinking boat now.

"Hey, one more thing," Astrid called after him as he was getting on Toothless.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder, his prosthetic leg on the stirrup specifically designed for it and his other foot on the ground.

"I just wanted to say thank you," she continued. "For risking so much for me. I know it must be difficult for you to help your enemy, but I promise we will never have to see each other after I get my dragon back."

The prince wasn't sure how to respond, so he just said: "See you in a week," and with that he hopped on Toothless and they were off.

He would have to see her one more time and then he could forget about this strange adventure. Hiccup really was looking forward to getting back to the way his life was before these past couple of days.

But the problem was that he didn't think he could fully return to that. This forbidden mission had changed something about the way he felt about Briral. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he supposed he would figure that out. Eventually.

* * *

**I have finalised the outline for this story, and I am happy to announce that 31 pages of outline later, I've come to the conclusion that this fic will be 26 chapters long + epilogue! Eeeee exciting :D**


	12. What a Screw-Up

It was evening when Hiccup was back in Berk. Despite his attempts at staying awake, he had dozed off a couple of times but was almost instantly jerked awake by either Toothless or a sudden sound that he had heard somewhere. He hoped that his father wouldn't question him for long, because he really needed to get some sleep in his head and he hadn't really thought about what to tell Stoick.

He just couldn't come up with any reasonable excuse as to why he had disappeared without a trace. Everything he thought of sounded stupid or unbelievable, sometimes both. Hopefully the king would ask him questions that were easy to answer without going into too much detail. However, deep down Hiccup knew that was just wishful thinking and he would need to come up with something before stepping in front of his father.

He had chosen to return home using the most common route that Berk used when they were on their way to Briral. That way he could keep an eye on a possible army of Berkians in case his father had decided to go after him and Princess Astrid. There had been no sign of anybody during his journey though, which gave Hiccup a slight relief; that made the prince surer about the fact that everyone was still within Berk.

When Hiccup was coming closer to the gates that would lead him inside the massive and stony walls of his kingdom, he could distinguish some men shouting his name, letting everyone know their prince was back. Hiccup saw with his mind's eyes how some guards were already sprinting towards the Throne Room where the king was sitting to deliver him the news, and the mere thought made his insides turn.

Maybe he should've given himself a bit more time to prepare himself?

Doing that was too late now though, for he was already inside the walls of Berk and surrounded by tens of guards and knights, asking him whether he was alright or hurt and where he had been. After a quick scan through them all, Hiccup could see how relieved they all seemed to be to see him alive and safe.

The prince tried his best to answer as many questions as possible without revealing a single detail about his act of treason. One of the guards offered to take Toothless to the stables, and since Hiccup knew he wouldn't be going near his dragon tonight, he told the Night Fury to follow the guard's lead. As he watched the dragon's receding back, he spotted Fishlegs standing a few feet away, looking at him with alarmed eyes.

Hiccup looked at the men that were still surrounding him. There was something that his friend wanted to tell him but couldn't do that because of all those knights and guards that were trying to get more information out of the prince and offering their services to him.

"That'll be enough, thank you," Hiccup said. "My servant will take it from here."

He left the mass of people behind him, and to his surprise nobody followed him. Hiccup walked up to Fishlegs who still hadn't stopped staring at the prince. That look on his face could only mean that something had gone terribly wrong back here while he was gone. He felt uneasy just thinking what it might be.

"Fishlegs, what's wrong?" Hiccup asked the moment he was standing next to his friend. He didn't even bother concealing the worry in his voice.

They began walking towards the castle, subconsciously avoiding bigger crowds to make it easier for them to talk.

"Sir Fairfax has been banished from Berk," Fishlegs said sadly.

"What?!" the prince cried. "What happened?"

"He was found guilty of releasing Princess Astrid. The two cell guards told Stoick what had happened between then and Sir Fairfax, so it was two guards against one knight and all the evidence traced back to him. There was nothing he could do."

Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair. "This…I can't believe it. Oh, gods, this is so messed up."

"He has until midnight to leave, and he returns on pain of death."

Hiccup felt horrible beyond words. He had caused that; he was the reason the only knight he could trust with anything was banished from Berk. How could have he been so inconsiderate? He had known that involving him could turn out badly, so why hadn't that stopped him from doing that? If he had given himself a couple more hours to think, he would've surely come up with a plan that only required two people, or just one; Fishlegs' life had as much worth as anybody else's, and he had also risked a lot by helping the prince out.

"That's not everything, Sir," Fishlegs said nervously. Hiccup instantly looked around at the mention of 'sir' and saw a couple guards standing within earshot. "The king questioned me yesterday."

Hiccup tried to act as though hearing this didn't trigger 20 alarms in his mind. He turned his head slowly to face Fishlegs again and his friend was looking at him with an apologetic face. Oh no.

"What did you tell him?" He asked in a low voice, hoping that it wouldn't be heard by anybody else.

Although he didn't know for sure if there was a real reason for him to start panicking, it was slowly building up inside him as he watched his friend whose expression told him a whole lot about what was to come.

Fishlegs spoke in a whisper so Hiccup had to lean in to hear everything: "I told him that you've been talking to Astrid in the dungeons and something she was telling you had made you suspicious. That's all I said I knew."

"You told him I've been talking to her?" Hiccup repeated and his mind was racing. This would mean no good.

"You know how bad I am at keeping secrets under pressure," Fishlegs said apologetically. "But I didn't tell any details, so at least that's something, isn't it?" he continued with a glimpse of hope in his voice.

The prince didn't say anything. He looked into nothingness as he thought hard. How screwed up was he? Sure, what Fishlegs had told his father wasn't very detailed and it didn't hint at the nature of their conversation in the cells, but that didn't stop him from being terrified to meet the king.

"I am seriously very sorry," Fishlegs said, acknowledging the seriousness of the situation.

Before Hiccup could answer, someone called his name.

"Prince Hiccup," the knight shouted, sounding very important. "The king demands your presence in the Throne Room this instant."

Hiccup closed his eyes for a few seconds and sighed loudly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, so he just nodded, and thankfully that seemed to be enough for the knight because he left him alone.

"Good luck," Fishlegs whispered, still wearing that apologetic look on his face. "It'll be fine."

The prince nodded absent-mindedly; his thoughts were drawn to what was possibly waiting for him behind those sturdy wooden doors. He wasn't cross with Fishlegs for what he had done because he was fully aware of how threatening Stoick could be when he wanted information. His friend wasn't used to it, and a common villager's life was always at risk in such situations. If the king had caught him lying, Hiccup would've probably come home to a headless Fishlegs.

Yet he didn't feel like saying anything to his friend when he made his way into the castle, leaving Fishlegs behind.

He was gaining curious looks from everyone he walked past, some of them were paying close attention to his clothing that was nothing like his usual attire that the Berkians were used to seeing on him. The prince wished the walk to the Throne Room would've lasted a while longer to have a couple more minutes to clear his thoughts. At least the bombs that Fishlegs had dropped on him had woken him up, so he didn't need to worry about that anymore.

As usual, the doors to the Throne Room were opened by two guards, revealing a pacing king and a frowning advisor. When Hiccup entered, Stoick snapped his head to the side and stopped walking around.

"Son," he said quietly, relief clear in his voice. He closed the distance between them and hugged Hiccup.

If the moment wasn't so nerve-racking to the prince, he would've questioned his father's reaction, but now he was just grateful that the king was happy to see him again, even if his way of showing it was to break a few of Hiccup's bones in his crushing hugs.

"Dad," Hiccup said. His voice was barely audible though as his face was now hidden behind a lot of beard.

"What happened?" Stoick asked as he broke the hug and looked down at his son. "Why did you disappear like that? And on the same night as Princess Astrid?"

Although there was slight confusion evident in his voice, there was also that demanding tone that told Hiccup that they were handling a serious case here and if the prince said something wrong, his father would be furious with him.

He decided to say what his father already knew: "Princess Astrid requested to see me in the dungeons, so I went down to see what she had to say."

It was hard to keep his voice calm, and he wished he could have some of that talent that Astrid possessed when it came to keeping emotions at bay.

Stoick looked disappointed. "I did hear something like that, but I was hoping it wasn't true. Why did you visit her?"

"Because she asked?" Hiccup suggested, trying to calm his nerves. His father didn't seem to find it amusing. "I wanted some answers," Hiccup then said honestly.

"And did you get them?"

There was a moment of doubting silence between them. The prince wondered how close to the truth his response could be without revealing too much. Stoick's eyes that were soft a moment ago had now hardened and they were fixed on Hiccup's face with a piercing look.

Hiccup realised he had been silent for too long, so he quickly recollected his thoughts before he gave his reply: "No, I did not. I wanted to know why she was here and what her intentions were, but she didn't tell me anything."

"And did you find out why she wanted to see you especially?" Stoick asked, now rubbing his beard in thought and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

The prince knew that he could say literally anything that brought Astrid into bad light and the king would buy it, so the first thing that came to his mind was what he said out loud: "She tried to find out our next move on Briral. Of course I didn't tell her a thing."

Stoick snorted. "Well, it didn't matter much since one of our own was an ally with her, so he most certainly told her everything."

"What are you talking about?" Hiccup asked acting as though his friend hadn't just told him what had happened while he was gone with…

He didn't dare think about it in his father's presence. The prince had a nasty tendency to change his facial expression according to his thoughts and he was afraid Stoick would be able to read him like an open book.

"Sir Fairfax helped Princess Astrid run away. But don't you worry about that, he has already been punished accordingly."

"Sir Fairfax would never do anything like that," Hiccup said harsher than he intended. "I would trust him with my life."

"The evidence speaks for itself. Once you are King you will find it better to not trust anybody but yourself. And that leads me to another question that I have for you."

Hiccup waited for his father to continue.

"I have trusted you with an important task, and that is to lead our knights in a matter of great urgency, so why did you neglect your responsibilities, and where have you been ever since Princess Astrid escaped?"

"I…when I was down in the dungeons, something kept telling me that she was going to try to escape, so when the warning bell went off, I wanted to stop her as soon as possible but I couldn't get to her."

Hiccup was surprised by how easily he could lie to his father. He didn't think he sounded nervous at all and now he just hoped he could maintain that until when the king would dismiss him.

"You couldn't get to her?" his father parroted and furrowed his eyebrows. "She was by foot and you were riding your Night Fury. How in the name of Thor is it possible that she slipped through your fingers?"

Oh damn. "She had a dragon, the one she came to Berk with," the prince said, hoping his father would buy it. "Apparently she was lying about him getting away when she was captured. I'm not proud of what happened but I clearly underestimated Princess Astrid."

He had no idea where all that was coming from. He would need to start thinking what he was about to say before he said something that would upset his father or give him away.

"So you found it fitting to break the bars that were blocking the entrance to the tunnel, and that way granting a passageway to anybody who wishes to enter the kingdom? Do you realise that we had to lower our defences in the castle because we need guards to the entrance until the blacksmith forges new bars?"

"Oh, gods, I'm so sorry, Dad," Hiccup said and ran his hand over his mouth. "I was trying to hit her."

He felt like a total screw-up. His intention never was to cause any harm to his own kingdom, and the worst part was that he had done that because of a princess he should want dead.

His mind travelled back to the conversation they had had when they were sneaking out of Berk.

_"What were you thinking?"_

_"I wasn't."_

Neither was he, apparently.

Before Stoick could say anything, Gobber, who had stayed in the background until now, cleared his throat loudly and walked up to them. He was carrying a notebook that he slammed shut and the sound echoed off the walls in the large and rather empty Throne Room.

"Everything the boy has done, he has clearly done it with Berk in his best interests, don't you think so, Stoick?" he said and looked at the king with an expression that Hiccup couldn't read. "We all make mistakes, and we should be grateful that this one wasn't fatal to anyone. I think you've questioned our prince long enough and it's time to let him rest."

Stoick stared at Gobber for a moment and didn't say anything, but it was clear that he was thinking on his advisor's words. Eventually he nodded, looked at his son and said: "Gobber's right. You're dismissed for the night. We still have a lot to discuss, so let us dine together tomorrow evening to unfold everything."

Hiccup felt a rush of relief wash over him. "Alright, My Lord," he said and bowed down slightly.

His father raised an eyebrow at his son's unusual formality but didn't seem to think that much into it. Hiccup turned around and walked towards the doors that were once again opened for him. As he walked in the corridor, he could heard them slam shut, which meant that the king wouldn't hear him run.

So he broke into a run, because the next place where he needed to be was Fairfax's bedchamber. It was located on the third floor, so the prince had to climb up over 70 steps. A couple maidens were ascending the stairs and they looked after him curiously, just what everybody else seemed to be doing tonight. Supposedly a prince's disappearance was a massive thing so even the servants heard about it.

He finally reached the third floor. Slightly panting, he found the door he was looking for and once he found it, he gave it two loud bangs and waited. It took but a couple seconds for the chamber door to swing open and reveal Sir Fairfax behind it.

"Fairfax," the prince breathed out. "I was just told what happened, and I am so sorry."

The former knight didn't say anything; he just stepped from the doorway and motioned with his hand for Hiccup to enter. Fairfax looked so different in casual clothes – the prince was used to seeing the knights in their armours as they were always required to be wearing it.

"I didn't plan for it to go this way," Hiccup continued as Fairfax didn't say anything. "I swear."

"But you knew something could happen, didn't you?" he said. There was barely any emotion on his face and the prince couldn't tell if Fairfax was angry with him or just…sad.

"I– yes. I know it was stupid of me to treat our friendship so poorly. I took you for granted."

"But we aren't friends, you once told me that," Fairfax stated and there was now a sad smile on his features. Now it was Hiccup's turn to not say anything, so the former knight took it as a sign to go on. "I am sorry, too. But it was my decision to help you, and it is I alone that is responsible for this. Don't be too hard on yourself, Hiccup."

"I seriously didn't want any of this to happen to you," Hiccup said. He wanted to make sure that Fairfax understood that.

"I know. But it did and there's nothing we can do."

There was a silence between them. Fairfax walked towards his bed where all his belongings were laying. There was almost nothing.

"At least you weren't executed," Hiccup said in a low voice. He didn't know if he had the right to speak like this now; even though Fairfax thought that the blame was on himself alone, the prince knew he was the only reason why they even had to go through this conversation in the first place.

That just was such a Fairfax kind of thing to say to make Hiccup feel better about it.

"Honestly? I would've preferred that," Fairfax stated simply as he put his items into a medium-sized belt pouch. "I have nowhere to go and I have to start a new life as an outcast since no kingdom is going to take me in after committing treason here. My life will be constantly on the line from now on. I'm sure the king was aware of that, which was why he chose to not kill me. This way I will suffer more greatly."

Hiccup felt like shit. He wished there was something he had done. Was it cowardly of him to not tell Stoick that it was his fault that it was him and not Fairfax that had committed treason? Probably.

He could no longer change the flow of the events in the Throne Room, so all he could do was say: "Once I am King, your banishment will be lifted and you're welcome back to Berk. When that happens, I will find you."

Fairfax attached the pouch to the belt he was wearing and lifted his head up to look at the prince. The corners of his mouth rose slightly. "I am looking forward to that, then."

The former knight walked past Hiccup and approached the chamber door that was standing ajar. The prince stared at the floor and drummed his foot against it silently.

Before Fairfax exited the room, he looked over his shoulder at Hiccup. "By the way," he began. The prince shot his head up from the floor. "For what it's worth, I've had time to think about what you were aiming at, and I truly believe in the kingdom that you will build when your time comes."

Hiccup smiled at him. "Thank you, Fairfax. It truly means a lot."

With that, Fairfax left the prince alone in the bedchamber. Hiccup stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts and thinking on the words that Fairfax had said to him.

He didn't know for certain what he wanted for the future of Berk, but at least there were some that already saw the type of king Hiccup would become. Knowing that made him feel better.

Hiccup also exited the chamber and made his way towards his own. He was ready to get a couple of hours of sleep before he started with a task he knew very little about.

He needed to befriend Stormfly for the journey they would be taking in a week.

* * *

**Yay, Hiccup called Stormfly by her name for the first time! :D**

**Thank you so much guys for your continuous support, it truly means the world to me. I always update around midnight, and nothing makes my mornings better than to wake up to some reviews from you. Thank you so much :')**


	13. A New Dragon Friend

**To the guest: I'm sorry that you didn't like the chapter. It's true that it was an ooc moment for Hiccup. I hope it didn't ruin your general enjoyment of the fic though!**  
**Maro93: Welcome onboard! I hope you will stick around till the end! :)**

* * *

"You are meeting her again in a week?" Fishlegs repeated slowly to make sure he had understood the prince.

"Yep. Well, in six days to be more exact," Hiccup corrected his friend.

They had spent the first hour of their morning going through everything that had gone down from the moment Hiccup and Astrid entered the tunnel to the moment he returned to Berk. Fishlegs had been holding his breath when Hiccup told him about how they had been almost caught in the cave, and Fishlegs couldn't believe their luck when it had been Fairfax to check that part of the massive rock. The prince had told his friend everything that Princess Astrid had revealed about Briral, and Fishlegs had clearly been surprised by how much she had been willing to share with her enemy. What had surprised him even more, however, was the fact that apparently the Hofferson didn't consider Hiccup her enemy.

The prince was standing behind the folding screen that he had in his chambers, changing his outfit. He had fallen asleep wearing the same dark clothes he had had on for nearly two days. He felt like everything that happened after his return to Berk was behind a dark, foggy cloud in the deepest corner of his mind and it made it difficult for him to recall every single detail of the discussions he had had with his father and Fairfax. He also didn't have the faintest clue how he had managed to descend the stairs to his chambers without injuring himself if he had been too tired to even change his clothes. However, he had got that 10 hours of sleep that he truly needed and now he felt he was ready for whatever the day was going to throw at him.

"Don't you think it would be better to, I don't know, release the dragon and let her fly to Princess Astrid? I mean, isn't going out there again a bit risky? Do you even know whether the king will let you go anywhere without a leash on you?"

"There's no telling whether she would return to Astrid if I did that," Hiccup responded as he pulled a white shirt over his head. It was really loose, and he realised he needed to place a belt by the hem, so he grabbed one that was hanging on top of the folding screen. "Besides, it's all planned out. Our meeting point will be midway, so it will only take one night. Nobody's going to notice a thing."

The prince had considered alternates to avoid leaving Berk again. In fact, he had spent most of his journey back home thinking whether giving Stormfly back to Astrid was worth it. After a bit of pondering, however, he knew that if he didn't do it, she would return to Berk because she just seemed like the kind of person who never gave up. She would most likely be captured again and Hiccup just knew that Stoick would be more than happy to execute her right on the spot. And that would mean that all his efforts to avoid war would be flushed down the nearby lake.

So there really was no option for the prince. Not that he could bring himself to blame Astrid for that – he would travel to the edge of the world for Toothless, so he totally understood her.

Also, he had promised she would get her dragon back. He would hate to be a person who broke promises willingly.

Fishlegs didn't say anything. When Hiccup was done changing into his white shirt, belt and black trousers, he walked to the front of the folding screen and looked at his friend. It was clear that he didn't like the thought of the prince disappearing again – he was probably still a bit frightened by the hearing he had to attend – and the many years of friendship told Hiccup that Fishlegs was at war with himself.

"You don't need to worry about it, I'm not going to make any mistakes this time," Hiccup reassured. There was no way he would risk anybody else's life because of Princess Astrid. It just wasn't worth it. And even though he couldn't remember everything that happened last night, he was aware that he was the reason Fairfax was now gone and he still felt terrible every time he thought about it.

The prince had many things on his schedule today. Firstly, he needed to take care of his prince duties, which involved training, training and a bit more training. He was pretty sure there was also a meeting with their neighbouring kingdom around midday and he would need to prepare a speech for that. His face hardened at the mere thought of speaking in front of important people.

Secondly, he needed to add a couple details on the very unfinished map of Briral before he forgot them. He now knew where exactly the river was and how far it was from the borders. The thought of finally making some progress with that map made him excited.

Thirdly, he had to start befriending Astrid's dragon, and he would need to be as sneaky about it as possible. Although he had always found dragons fascinating, he didn't show much interest in any other dragon apart from Toothless. Caring for them wasn't his responsibility, which was why it would be odd for him to suddenly spend a lot of time around a certain dragon, so it was yet another thing he had to keep hidden from everybody else.

When was he going to see a day when he could go about his normal life without all this secrecy?

But before he could take the first step towards that day, he needed to prepare that speech.

"Do you want me to write it for you?" Fishlegs asked as Hiccup made his way to the desk where he did all his writing.

Hiccup shook his head immediately. "It needs to sound like it was made by me. If I'm speaking someone else's words, they can't hear my voice in it. I'm not planning to make it long anyway, they should arrive in five hours and I need to have time to learn the speech as well."

Fishlegs nodded in understanding. "Anything else I can do?"

"No, let's just say I've dismissed you for the entire day if somebody asks. You can go," the prince responded as he sat down on the wooden chair that made a slight cracking noise upon contact. He took a piece of parchment and a quill out of the drawers and was ready to start writing until he realised that Fishlegs hadn't moved an inch from his spot. Hiccup looked up. "Seriously, have an off day."

"I've had two off days already," Fishlegs stated.

"Then have a third one. Just make sure you're present in the meeting, otherwise you can do whatever you want today. Future King's orders, so do as I say," the prince said and faked the commanding tone for the last bit.

Fishlegs sighed and smiled. He stood there for a few more seconds before he left the prince's chambers. The doors were slam shut, leaving Hiccup in complete silence. He pressed the other end of the quill against his lower lip as he thought of a way to begin his short speech. It turned out to be a challenge, for his mind was acting like a boomerang – it bounced from thought to another without much of a warning, and he couldn't concentrate on the speech as much as he should have. His mind travelled from the moments spent with the princess of Briral to his father to Fairfax and his stupidity to Stormfly to his speech, and the cycle repeated itself. It frustrated him.

He shook his head as if to rid himself of all unnecessary thoughts before he dipped the quill in the ink, already knowing that he would definitely not be impressing anyone with his speech.

* * *

The day went by surprisingly fast, and very much to Hiccup's dissatisfaction, Stoick had invited their visitors to stay for the night before going back to their own kingdom. That meant he had even less time to spend with Stormfly tonight as he was expected to socialise with the royal family. If something good came out of this, it was the fact that now he didn't need to dine alone with his father, and he could avoid his questions one more day.

It was late in the evening when Hiccup managed to squeeze in a moment to go to Astrid's dragon. As the dragon was currently seen as one of the knights' own, she was staying in the same stable as Toothless, so him going there wouldn't raise any suspicion.

First he checked on his own dragon and allowed himself a short while to scratch the Night Fury behind his ear. They hadn't seen each other all day due to the prince's busy schedule, so Toothless was delighted to see his human friend again.

"Hi there, bud, how are you doing?" Hiccup softly asked as he opened the stall door. He received a content growl as a response. "I'm sorry I can't stay for long, but I have some other things to do. I think it's better that you rest, anyway."

The dragon let out another growl that sounded very much like a bored 'yeah, yeah'. The prince knew that Toothless wasn't used to doing nothing for a full day, so the realisation that they wouldn't go flying tonight was probably a disappointment to him. But the Night Fury really needed to rest.

Hiccup spent a moment scratching his dragon from his favourite spots, just thinking and thinking some more.

What if Stormfly didn't let him come close to her either? Could the poison in the trap have changed her that much? He hoped not. Then again, he didn't know if what happened in the woods was out of pure luck or if that really was a way to get closer to that dragon.

The only way to find out was to go to her. He left Toothless and searched for the stall where Stormfly was staying in, and he was pleased to find out that she was there. Unlike many other dragons around them, she wasn't asleep. In fact, she was wide awake, eyeing the surroundings and seeming slightly alerted.

Before he opened the stall door, Hiccup looked around for any curious, prying eyes. It seemed that everyone had been dismissed for the day and he indeed was alone at that part of the stables. The prince inhaled and exhaled loudly to calm his nerves before opening the door and entering the small stall. His entrance wasn't missed by the dragon; her attention was instantly turned to him. Her eyes had a defensive glare in them, as if she was ready to fire at the prince if needed.

"Stormfly?" he said, making it sound like a question. "Is that your name?"

Although he had admitted to himself that the dragon was Astrid's – what was the point in denying it when they were going to lose the dragon anyway whether or not it was hers? – he hadn't expected the dragon to react to the name. Instead of looking threatening, she was now slightly curious though it was clear that she was still alerted. Hiccup couldn't tell if it was because of him or because of the unfamiliar surroundings.

He slowly extended his hand towards Stormfly's snout while watching her cautiously. At least the dragon didn't back away from him, so that was definitely a plus. Hiccup turned his head away, his heart beating wildly. He heard Stormfly breathe sharply through her nostrils and a growling sound erupted from her throat. The prince snapped his head in the dragon's direction and he noticed the dragon had backed down slightly, looking at him doubtfully.

"Hey, it's all right," Hiccup said in a low voice, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm not here to hurt you."

The way he spoke seemed to help; the dragon calmed down a little which made it possible for Hiccup to approach her again. He took a couple steps towards her with his extended arm, keeping his facial expression as friendly as possible.

He turned his head away again, just like he had done when he tried to befriend Toothless at 15. He waited. And waited. There was no threatening sound coming from Stormfly, so Hiccup mentally forced himself to keep his gaze on the ground.

He felt the dragon's snout on his palm and relief washed over him. They had taken the first step. He now dared to look up at Stormfly that had her eyes closed. Trying not to make any sudden movements, Hiccup took a couple more steps to be directly in front of the dragon's face. He ran his hand across her snout.

The prince's attention was drawn to Stormfly's hind legs. He needed to check if there was any visible injury that would finally confirm that the dragon was Princess Astrid's. He removed his hand from Stormfly's head and slowly walked towards her legs. The dragon instantly became more restless so the prince mumbled sweet nothing's to her as he bent down to take a better look.

He didn't know which one of the legs was injured, but he only needed to look at them once to see the clear markings that had to have come from something sharp that had bored into the poor dragon's skin. It didn't look like it had been treated for, and the fact that it hadn't healed one bit could only mean that Astrid was right in thinking that there had been poison in that trap.

Stormfly needed instant treatment. And there was only one person in the whole of Berk he could trust with this.

* * *

"Gothi, please," Hiccup pleaded the next morning.

When he had woken up very early, the first thing he did was to run to Gothi's hut and explain Stormfly's condition to her. She was the court physician, and she alone had the knowledge how to treat injuries, especially those with poison in them. Gothi didn't seem very convinced at first and was looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important. I know you're busy. But the dragon will die if something isn't done soon," the prince explained. "And I don't want to see a dead dragon if it can be avoided."

Gothi stopped leaning onto her staff and she walked outside of the hut, Hiccup following at her heels. She began drawing on the ground and the prince tried his best to understand the messages she was delivering to him.

"No, the other physician didn't mention anything about the injury. No, the knight that owns her hasn't been able to get close to her so he hasn't noticed anything. What's that supposed to mea– ouch! I'm sorry I am not fluent in your language like Gobber is! Oh, yes, I know you're busy, I already said that."

Gothi stopped drawing and they exchanged a look.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important," Hiccup repeated, rubbing his head slightly where Gothi had hit him with her staff. "But the wound looks really bad. I can join you because I am the only one she trusts."

It really felt like the old woman was staring into his soul, trying to find out the real reason behind his sudden interest towards another dragon. The prince gave it his best attempt to look innocent and sincere, and that he only wanted the dragon treated for the sake of the knight. Sometimes Hiccup got the uncomfortable feeling that Gothi was able to read minds – her inability to speak made communicating really difficult, and it often felt as though the court physician understood more than what she let show on her face.

Before Hiccup realised it, Gothi was back into her hut and she was collecting some potions and herbs into her pouch. The prince's face split into a smile as the realisation drew on him.

"Oh, thank you so much, Gothi, thank you!" he said, relief colouring his voice.

* * *

The remaining of the week passed by both quickly and slowly. At times Hiccup wanted it to go faster so that he would be done with his secret mission sooner, but he also wanted the time to go slower because he didn't feel like he was making much progress with Stormfly. The treatments Gothi had given to the dragon were definitely helping, and the wound didn't look as nasty anymore. But the fact that the dragon was beginning to heal, she wasn't as cautious with new people as she used to be, which meant that the knight that was supposed to own her could also approach the dragon without difficulty. And with him spending a lot of time with the dragon, the number of times Hiccup could be with Astrid's dragon was decreased drastically since the start.

And the last thing Hiccup needed was for the knight to form a bond with Stormfly on the eve of his secret mission. Yet there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it without blurting out the words 'oh hey, that dragon is our archenemy's and I'm returning her to the princess, so stay away from her, thank you very much'. The secrecy was beginning to be really tiring and he was definitely looking forward to this evening when he would take off with Toothless and Stormfly towards that cliff.

Fishlegs, as always, wanted to offer his help to ensure that the prince's mission would be successful.

"If there's anything I can do, just tell me," he told Hiccup in the afternoon.

They were on their way from fighting practise and passing through the village that was next to the castle walls. There were villagers carrying wood and other building equipment as they were rebuilding their houses and market stalls that had been damaged in Briral's latest attack. It had been over three weeks ago, but it felt like it had been a decade. Hiccup couldn't recall a time when Berk had remained untouched for more than one week, so this was definitely a record. However, he knew that something would be coming their way soon – the silence did nothing but raise suspicion within the walls of Berk. So, looking at the villagers that were rebuilding their houses made Hiccup feel sorry for them, because they all knew they would have to do it again after Briral's next attack.

"This time I will be on my own. This is my own mess and I have to deal with it alone," Hiccup said. His tone left no room for discussion.

"If this is because of what happened to Fairfax–"

"Yes, Fishlegs, it's exactly because of that. I can't risk anybody else's life for something that doesn't concern them. I don't want to repeat my mistakes."

At the beginning of the week, Hiccup had decided to distance his friend from this mission completely, and he had been revealing as little information as possible. The less Fishlegs knew, the better. He didn't even know what time the prince would be leaving that evening.

His plan was to leave when the sun set, which happened rather early since they were already quite deep into the Autumn. That would mean he would return to Berk early in the morning, and if he were lucky, nobody would notice a thing. He was also counting a lot on the possibility that since it was just Stormfly gone, few would be suspecting anything. After all, it was the dragon that was supposed to be brainwashed by Briralians, so people would just assume she escaped.

He just hoped he was counting on the right thing.

That evening he had stayed with Toothless until everyone was gone from that side of the stables. It hadn't taken long for everyone to clear off, but it had felt like an eternity for Hiccup. He had then put the saddle on his dragon and proceeded to Stormfly's stall.

"Hey, there. I'm taking you to Princess Astrid, or do you know her just as Astrid?" he had said quietly, hoping that the mention of the girl's name would make it easier to get the dragon to come with him.

It had caused the reaction he was hoping for; Stormfly had instantly seemed much more awake and excited, and when Hiccup had opened the stall door properly, the dragon had almost knocked him over as she had sprinted to the aisle. They had managed to go past guards and everybody else, and they were now outside of Berk's walls and safely in the air.

It was wonderful to be up in the air again. Hiccup hadn't had much time for his dragon the past days as he had to be very closely by his father's side to make up for his uncalled-for escapade. It seemed like the king had forgotten about it for the most part, and the real turn happened when the blacksmith had finished the new bars for the tunnel entrance and they had been successfully installed.

Even though it was obvious that Stormfly wanted to get to her owner, Hiccup's instincts made him glance over his shoulder every now and then to check if the dragon was still with them. Stormfly turned out to be very good at flying silently – the prince rarely heard the flapping of her wings or any other dragon-like noises. Whoever had trained that dragon, they had done an impressive job.

They flew towards the cliff without taking any breaks. They would have some time for that when they were there, and Toothless could also rest when they were back in Berk. Also, the thought of this being the last night he'd be losing sleep because of Astrid Hofferson made Hiccup very cheerful and he was keen on getting to their meeting point. The quicker they were there, the quicker they were out.

The cliff was next to the sea and it was currently covered in thick fog. It was very easy to miss but Hiccup could just imagine how beautiful the view would be if it could be enjoyed during the daytime. There were many trees near the edge of the cliff, though most of them were beginning to lose their leaves due to the cold weather, but some of the pine trees were still standing in their full glory. The cliff was mostly covered in grass.

These were the quick observations Hiccup made before landing on the cliff. Astrid was already there, waiting with another dragon that was smaller than what Hiccup was used to seeing. Toothless barely got his paws on the ground before the princess ran towards them. She eyed the prince and his dragon for a split second until Stormfly made her appearance and landed on the cliff next to the Night Fury.

"Stormfly!" Astrid cried out, her voice cracking slightly. She was by the dragon's side before Hiccup could even blink. "My good girl! Oh I missed you so much!"

She hugged her dragon tightly by the neck. Stormfly was making some low but happy sounds and she closed her eyes as she pressed her head against Astrid's back.

Hiccup got off Toothless so that his dragon could rest for a while before they'd turn back. He wasn't intending to stick around for long. He took off his helmet as he approached the princess

"Her hind leg has been treated and it shouldn't be a problem anymore," the prince said. Astrid broke her hug with Stormfly to look at him. "And you were right, there had been poison in that trap."

Her eyes widened slightly and she quickly bent down to look at her dragon's legs. She ran her hand on them, looking for the wound that the trap had made. She then stood up and turned around to look at Hiccup. Her face was split into a grateful smile.

"I don't know how I could thank you for that," she said. "You probably saved her life."

"I didn't do anything," Hiccup corrected. He wasn't going to accept the credit for something he didn't do. "Her leg looked really bad, so something had to be done. Our court physician managed to cure it thankfully."

Astrid was still smiling. "If you can, tell your physician a million thank you's from me. How did your father react when you came back?"

The prince was surprised by the sudden change of subject. "He was relieved to see me, but it could've gone better," he said without getting to the details. That didn't stop his mind from diving into them, however, and the memories of everything that had gone wrong made him grimace.

"Same," Astrid replied. "Mine was really cross with me. He grounded me. I didn't think you could ground a royal, but apparently that's possible. I am not allowed to go anywhere that's not inside the castle," she continued and if she tried to hide the bitterness in her voice, she failed at it.

"What did you tell him?" Hiccup asked, suddenly alarmed. What if she had revealed that she had been captured by Berkians?

"That I was looking for Stormfly and got lost," she said and placed her hand on her dragon's snout. Stormfly let out a content growl. "What about you?"

The prince let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "That I had talked to you in the cells and I realised you'd try to escape so I went after you alone."

Astrid nodded, moving her attention to Stormfly. She petted her head and they stood in silence for a while. Hiccup wondered if it would be appropriate for him to leave.

Before the prince could make any decision, a loud screeching noise erupted somewhere nearby. Both Toothless and Stormfly grew restless and their eyes darted everywhere, looking for the source of the sound. It reminded Hiccup a lot of the sounds that Stormfly was making in the woods when he was trying to track her.

"Was that a dragon?" Astrid asked, her eyes fixed on the trees and large rocks behind them.

"It has to be," Hiccup confirmed and tried to locate the sound.

It seemed to be coming everywhere and Hiccup wasn't sure if they were listening to an echo or the actual noise that the dragon was making. It was clear from the way their dragons were behaving that this mysterious creature was in desperate need of help.

"We need to find it!" Astrid said and got on the dragon that she came to the cliff with. Hiccup followed her lead and hopped on Toothless after putting his helmet back on.

"It sounds like it's been hurt," the prince stated and looked down at his dragon. "Do you think you can locate the poor dragon, bud?"

Toothless stood still for a moment, his head moving from side to another, listening to the screeching. Without much of a warning, the Night Fury launched himself straight upward and Hiccup let out a surprised yelp. The prince looked down and saw Astrid follow suit with the dragon, followed by Stormfly. They flew off the cliff towards the forest that they had passed a week ago. The sounds grew stronger and became easier to locate.

Would they be able to help that poor thing?

It took them a while to find the dragon. It was curled up inside a large cave, trying to seek for shelter. It looked big and if it was in a lot of pain, its movements could be very unpredictable and fatal to them.

"Any idea how we're getting closer to it?" Astrid shouted over the noises that the dragon was making.

Toothless and Stormfly were trying to get closer to it, and Hiccup hoped that their presence would calm it down.

"I guess the only way is to just walk closer and hope it won't kill us," the prince said. "You can go, I can handle this alone."

"But I want to help!" Astrid protested and took a couple steps towards the downed dragon. It had stopped being so loud, but it was still clearly hurt and feeling much pain.

Hiccup was about to say no, but he knew it would be no use. He hadn't known Astrid for a very long time, but it had been enough for him to realise that she didn't give up easily. So if she wanted to help, she would do it and the prince's opinion didn't matter.

What he said instead was: "Whatever. I suppose two is better than one."

The princess said something, but Hiccup couldn't hear her; the dragon had just made another loud screech just when she had started speaking. Wordlessly they approached the cave. Their dragons' presence had definitely helped the downed dragon calm down so that it was rather easy for them to get close to it.

"Its wings are hurt," Hiccup stated sadly as he held the dragon's unfolded wing in his hand. "Looks like it has been fighting another dragon. Look, you can clearly see the scratch marks. These wings are going to take a while to heal."

Astrid looked at the marks that Hiccup was pointing at and inhaled sharply. "Gods, what a poor thing. We need to help it."

The prince wondered what type of dragon it was. He felt terribly sorry for the poor creature, but also he couldn't help the feeling of excitement that he got from this moment – although he didn't know much about dragons, he wanted nothing more but to help the injured reptile before him. Could this be his chance to learn more about dragons?

"I could ask Berk's dragon trainers to teach me how to care for dragons, and also see what herbs and potions our court physician is using to treat injuries," Hiccup said as he stood up, his eyes still fixed on the dragon. They could've tried to do something now, but the chances to make things worse were too great and the prince didn't want to risk the dragon's life just because he wanted to experiment a little.

"That would be great. When are we coming back?"

"We?" Hiccup repeated and turned to look at Astrid that seemed as excited about the situation as he was. She just nodded. "I can do this alone."

"Didn't you just say that two is better than one?"

Oh. The prince was about to protest, but he ended up just opening his mouth and then closing it, opening it and closing it. He couldn't go against his own words, and it wasn't like he could stop Astrid from tagging along.

So he wasn't getting rid of her after tonight.

He sighed loudly and rested his forehead on his fist. "Every other night?" he suggested as he looked up again to meet Astrid's eyes.

"I hope that's not too long for the poor dragon," Astrid said and glanced at the exhausted creature next to them.

"There's not much else we can do for it. The distance's too long to come here every night," the prince said.

He also feared that he'd be coming back to a dead dragon. He didn't know how serious such injuries were and if the dragon could die from them. But if not the injuries, it would be its defenceless stage that would be the dragon's doom.

"So," Astrid began to gain the prince's attention. She succeeded in that. "In two nights it is, then? I hope we can both find something that will help ease that dragon's pain."

Before they left, they made sure to conceal the entrance to the cave as well as possible, but with most plants witted or leafless it turned out to be a challenging task. Eventually they gathered enough supplies to provide a slightly better shelter for the dragon, and after that they left for their own kingdoms. Hiccup couldn't believe that for the first time in his life, he was wishing that Briral would be closer to Berk. Why did it have to be so far away that even getting to the midpoint took about 6 hours?

But this time he would be happy to lose his sleep, because now that he was given a chance to learn more about dragons, he was more than keen to take it.

* * *

**Fun fact: the ending of this chapter is the reason this story came to be. In 2017 I had an idea that Hiccstrid have their own dragons but they don't know much about dragons in general, and they find an injured dragon that they start helping. Then I constructed the rest of the plot around that. How I eventually made them each other's enemies remains a mystery lol.**

**Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter or the story in general!**


	14. A Reveal

The disappearance of the knight's dragon caused a lot of confusion in Berk the following morning. The knight kept on repeating how everything seemed fine in the afternoon, and there had been no signs of his dragon wanting to leave. Nobody appeared to be understanding how she had managed to get out of her stall and the stable building.

The knight had been upset, but once Stoick promised him a new dragon, his spirits seemed to have risen up drastically. Perhaps it helped that he hadn't been able to be close to the dragon for many weeks? Hiccup didn't know, but he was extremely glad that his assumptions had been correct and nobody seemed to suspect anything – everyone just agreed that the dragon had had enough and left for good.

On top of that, the prince couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited about something. His desire to learn more about dragons was growing bigger by the minute, and he just couldn't understand how he hadn't taken interest in them earlier. He wanted to think it was because he was too busy doing other things, but it wasn't that. He just didn't use to care.

But somehow the encounter with the wounded dragon the previous night had changed everything for him. He really wanted to help the poor creature, and realising that just how big of an advantage it would be to know how to deal with any type of dragon made him so eager to go to Berk's dragon trainers right that instant. However, that wasn't possible because they were busy in the mornings as that was when they always did most of the training. And even though Hiccup was curious to see how they did it, he was wise enough to not disturb them.

So, what he did in the morning instead was trying to figure out what type of a dragon it was in the woods. Although he rarely visited the Royal Library, he knew that there were books about dragons and that one of them was about different dragon species. Berk's dragon trainers wrote down all the information they collected in that book, and it was kept in the Royal Library to avoid just anybody getting their hands on it.

The library was always extremely deserted and it looked extremely dull. Some of the books were hundreds of years old, dating back to the 10th century, and the ancient pieces of parchment gave the place a nasty stench. If the sun shone through the window, it revealed the dust that was everywhere.

There was a very old librarian with a grey beard long enough to reach the floor and he was always sitting by his desk, either reading a book or writing on a long piece of parchment. He was wearing dusty, black robes that made him look like a priest. Hiccup never saw him, but he did know of his existence.

The librarian surely wasn't expecting to see the prince walk in. When he heard approaching footsteps, he reluctantly raised his head up from the book he was skimming through, but once he realised who was coming, he slammed the book shut, causing a cloud of dust to rise from between the pages.

"Prince Hiccup," he said in a croaked voice that he hadn't probably been using for a while. He stood up as quickly as he could, but the prince gestured him to sit down again.

"Good morning," he replied and smiled friendly. "I'm looking for a book."

"What is its name, My Lord?" the librarian asked curiously, his hand ghosting on the drawers for whatever reason. He then pulled out a long piece of parchment where he apparently kept a list of all the books that there were in the Royal Library.

"The Book of Dragons," Hiccup said and watched the old man's gaze shoot up from the list to him. "The one that the dragon trainers update often."

"You can find it two shelves to the right," the man said and pointed at the exact shelf. Hiccup followed the man's finger with his eyes and they fixed upon a shelf with a large D painted at the end of it.

"I didn't know we have a sorting system in this library," Hiccup mumbled mostly to himself, but apparently the librarian heard him.

"I'm always looking for ways to improve this fine library, and I figured it would be useful to have all the books sorted by what they're about, My Lord," he replied excitedly.

The prince just smiled at him and thanked him for his help before he disappeared behind the massive shelf of books. As he scanned through the titles, he could easily tell which books were more popular than the others, for some of them had worn-out covers meanwhile some other books looked like nobody had touched them since they had found their place on that shelf. That might have also had something to do with the fact that the Royal Library was rarely visited by anybody, for everyone with access to it didn't have a lot of time to spare for a visit.

Once Hiccup found the book, he sat down by an old, wooden table to spread it open. Since it had been really dark when they found the dragon, he hadn't been able to see it very clearly so all the memories he had of it were blurry. Finding the dragon from the book turned out to be a lot more challenging than he had imagined. The prince knew that its winds were big and its body slim, but those details fit to awfully many of the dragon species that the trainers had written down on that book. He read through the descriptions of all the possible options and he tried to stretch his memory to see if there had been the smallest of detail that would've solved it all. The drawings of the dragon species weren't much help either – it seemed as though the trainers had found the person with the artistic skills of a toad to do the illustrations.

Hiccup realised that he needed to have another look at the dragon before he could figure out what it was. Next time he would need to pay more attention to details such as how it defended itself and what its roars sounded like, because apparently that was important in identifying the species from one another.

Slightly frustrated by the wasted time, Hiccup got up from the chair that created an echoing sound around the walls as it slid across the stony floor of the library. He returned the Book of Dragons on the spot where he got it from and to get out of the library, he walked behind the shelves so that he didn't have to go past the librarian. The old man saw him only when the prince was about to exit the room, so Hiccup turned around to thank him for his help once again before finally entering the corridor.

* * *

"So, you want to learn how to train dragons?" one of the dragon trainers asked with a raised eyebrow. "May I ask why, Sir?"

"No, I don't exactly want to know how to train them, just how to– actually, on second thoughts, I do want to learn how to train them. It'll be useful in the future."

"Are you planning to have your sweet revenge on Briral? To return the favour and snatch their dragons from them?"

"What? No," Hiccup replied with a frown. Why did everything always have to be about revenge? "I just want to learn, is all. To get an idea what you're doing and how challenging it is."

The muscular man nodded. "Most certainly, Sir. Each dragon is unique and therefore they must be trained as individuals. We can have two Deadly Nadders–"

"Deadly Nadders?" Hiccup parroted.

"That's a dragon species. The dragon that fled last night was a Deadly Nadder."

The prince nodded in thought. Now he knew what type of a dragon Astrid had and he could learn a bit more about Stormfly.

Hiccup didn't realise his face had split into a smile until the dragon trainer said: "So I take that it's your favourite dragon species? Such majestic creatures they are indeed – hard to train but they're incredibly loyal once you've earned their trust."

They spent several hours going through different training methods and Hiccup tried his best to take in every word. He even made some notes on his notebook, a sight that made the dragon trainer chuckle in amusement. He learned that if the dragon's tail was damaged, it couldn't fly, so the prince made himself a mental note to check the dragon's tail the following day. He also found out that the way he had gained Toothless and Stormfly's trust was a very typical method for befriending dragons. Hearing that was relieving, for it made him much more confident about getting closer to the unfamiliar reptile.

Just as he was about to leave the rink where the dragon trainers spent the majority of their time, he was greeted by a sight of Gothi and Fishlegs. Hiccup looked between the two, and when he saw Gothi's angry and suspicious glare, his eyes darted up to Fishlegs to get any sort of confirmation whether the court physician was looking like that because of him or somebody else. His friend looked as puzzled as he felt, and Hiccup realised it was most likely because Fishlegs didn't ever spend time around Gothi so he didn't understand her weird drawing language if she had even attempted to communicate with him.

"Hey, Gothi," Hiccup greeted cheerfully. "I was actually just thinking of coming over to you."

She narrowed her eyes before taking a better grip of her staff and drawing on the ground. The prince looked around him to see if there was anybody that could understand the drawings nearby. When he concluded that there wasn't, he turned his attention back to Gothi.

"The dragon that escaped last night? You think I have something to do with that? I've no clue what you're talking about," he said and let out an awkward laugh. When the physician raised her head from the ground, her facial expression didn't leave any doubts about whether she believed him. She clearly didn't.

Fishlegs stared at the ground that was now filled with drawings that made no sense to him. He was clearly trying to figure out how Hiccup knew that the combination of them all meant that Gothi was suspecting the prince – he looked like he had just swallowed a very sour lemon.

"I swear I didn't have anything to do with it," he lied. "The dragon was just able to fly off after it was cured, that's my theory."

Gothi stared at him with a piercing look, and although it was hard, Hiccup stared back at her. After a while she seemed to give up as she just rolled her eyes in frustration and made her way towards the training rink.

"Hey, Gothi, I will come to your hut later today because I need to learn something about curing wounds," Hiccup shouted after the physician.

She stopped walking and looked at him over her shoulder. She simply nodded, not bothering to do anything else and she was off again.

"What are you up to?" his friend asked him once Gothi was out of earshot.

"There is a wounded dragon in the woods, I need to help it. She will be there as well."

Hiccup didn't need to mention Astrid's name for Fishlegs to realise who he was talking about.

"Are you absolutely certain you know what you're doing?" Fishlegs asked slowly. "The court physician doesn't believe a word you're saying, and you pretty much confirmed her suspicions by telling her you need help to cure wounds. I mean, can you even make it more obvious? It won't take long that others will smell something fishy as well."

"Come on, Fishlegs. It will be fine, nobody will realise anything. I know how to be sneaky, I'm not a first-timer."

"But this is a completely different thing from sneaking out for a couple of hours at night. I'm just scared you'll be caught and get in trouble."

Hiccup smiled at his friend. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

The prince patted Fishlegs on the shoulder before he walked away from the training rink.

"I sure hope you do," Fishlegs mumbled under his breath, but Hiccup didn't hear that.

* * *

"What did you find out?" Astrid asked the night after.

They were on their way to the cave. They travelled by foot, with Toothless and Stormfly right in front of them as if to show them the way. It was dead silent around them; nothing was implying that there was a wounded dragon hidden in the woods, which made Hiccup worry that the dragon had left the cave. It would've been such a shame to see all the trouble coming back here and then not be able to help the reptile.

After much difficulty, the prince had managed to gather some herbs and potions from Gothi's cupboards. He had asked her to give him something that would treat bad injuries, and what he was now carrying in his leather pouch that he had attached to his belt, next to the sword that he always carried with him.

Hiccup looked to his right and he met Astrid's curious eyes. "Not as much as I'd have liked. But I do know how to treat the dragon's injuries."

"Good, I also tried to get something out of Briral's dragon trainers, but it was difficult. They don't share what they know willingly and I am the last person they expect to be interested."

The prince didn't know what to say to that, so he just kept moving forward, keeping an eye on Toothless in case the dragon made some drastic turn in another direction.

The silence that had fallen became too bothering for Hiccup so he decided to break it. "Was anybody curious where you got Stormfly back?"

Although the prince wasn't looking at her, he saw from the corner of his eye how Astrid rapidly turned her head to look at him. "You're finally calling her by her name," she stated as if that was the most relevant part of Hiccup's question.

"Your reunion didn't leave much doubt in my mind about her being yours. So yeah," he responded, and their eyes met. Hiccup's thoughts travelled to that moment and remembering the pure joy surrounding the girl and the dragon caused a ghost of a smile to creep on his lips, but he snapped back to the present time once he realised what he was doing.

Astrid was looking at him with an unreadable expression, and Hiccup truly hoped it wasn't because she had seen him smile. Then she finally decided to answer his question: "Those that were aware that she had been gone were surprised and wanted to know how I got her back. But it isn't that unusual for dragons to find their way back home, so people believed me when I told them that Stormfly had just made a magical reappearance in the morning. I actually did let her wander freely on our grounds to make it more believable. My friend, Heather, found her."

That made Hiccup instantly wonder who Heather was and what position she had in Briral. He was pretty sure she wasn't Astrid's servant because the princess had been clearly surprised when Hiccup hadn't let her speak to Fishlegs however she pleased. Perhaps she was the daughter of one of the knights which would explain why they were friends?

It vexed Hiccup how every detail that the princess revealed about herself arose new questions and curiosity within him. And the thing was that his curiosity had nothing to do with Briral – everything he wished to know was about Astrid.

He pushed his thoughts in the back of his mind and focused on what lied ahead of them. It didn't take them long to reach the cave, and to their pleasant surprise, the dragon was still there. It looked weak – weaker than last time. The view made Hiccup reach for his leather pouch and he now rummaged it for the herbs and potions. He placed them all on a rock that was standing by the entrance to the cave. Hiccup approached the dragon slowly and tried to figure out whether it was safe for him to go next to it. The dragon seemed so weak that it didn't appear to care about what was going on around it, so the prince grabbed a random potion and some herbs before he placed himself next to that poor creature. He took a pestle and mortar from the pouch and began grinding the herbs. He felt a pair of eyes on him so he looked up and saw Astrid watch him curiously. She had her head slightly tilted to the side and she didn't tear her eyes off the pestle.

"Are you going to spread that over the wounds?" she asked. "I heard that the healing process is faster if you use the correct herbs."

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, I was told that as well. Well, not exactly told but anyway…it should help it. I just wish we knew what species it is."

"It's a Timberjack," Astrid stated simply.

"How do you know?" Hiccup asked, completely surprised. He stopped grinding the herbs for a while and just stared at the princess.

"We have a book on dragons, I looked it up," she explained. "Did you know that Timberjacks don't have legs?"

"I didn't," the prince admitted. A part of him sighed in relief because this meant that he didn't have to go to the Royal Library anymore. The dusty air of that room would've probably caused him to pass out so he was more than happy to stay away from it.

Astrid smiled slightly at Hiccup and she crouched down next to him. She took one of the potions and tried to catch the dragon's attention to her so that it would drink the contents of the glass vial. They worked in silence, Hiccup spreading the grinded herbs on the wounds on the dragon's wings and Astrid helping it through the potions. The prince hoped that their treatments would start taking effect soon – of course it was still impossible to say whether they were doing any good to the Timberjack, but he was pretty sure that they at least couldn't make things worse.

When the dragon finished the last potion, Astrid stood up and walked towards the clearing that stood at the entrance of the cave. "I will keep watch until you're done," she said.

Hiccup raised his eyebrow. He looked up at the girl's back. "Do you know how to defend yourself if someone comes?" he asked curiously.

Astrid came to a halt, looked over her shoulder, and before Hiccup could even register what was going on, the princess pulled out the sword that was attached to his belt. She moved it smoothly in her hand and the sword made swooshing sounds in the air. Then, all of a sudden, she pointed the sword at Hiccup, the sharp end only half an inch from his throat. Toothless let out an angry growl, ready to attack the princess if need be.

"I have had my practise," she said smugly and withdrew the sword from Hiccup's throat.

The prince breathed heavily. His heart was racing and all he could do was stare at the princess with widened eyes. He was stunned by what just happened and he couldn't find words. He couldn't believe he had let his guard down, but what amazed him even more was how smoothly Astrid had worked with the sword.

"Heather has an endless access to swords and she has taught me how to fight," the princess explained with a satisfied grin when she saw the look on Hiccup's face. He had clearly reacted exactly the way she had hoped. "However, I must confess that I prefer an axe. It does more damage when necessary."

An axe? Was this girl for real?

"I…uh…I'm…" he stammered, unable to form any rational thought.

"What, did I accidentally cut your tongue?" she asked and laughed brightly before dropping the sword to the ground and walking towards the cave entrance.

Hiccup forgot how his brain worked for a moment. He didn't know how to close his mouth as it was now shaped into a perfect O, and he couldn't stop staring at Astrid. He didn't know if it was because he was still shocked by what she did or he was just impressed by what she did. It had been completely unexpected – nothing had ever implied that she knew how to swing a sword. Or an axe.

When his brain finally started functioning again, he retrieved back to treating the dragon's wounds. He glanced in Astrid's direction every once in a while to see what she was doing, but she was always just leaning against a big rock and looking out into the forest. She seemed to be thinking of something.

Once Hiccup had taken care of every single wound he had been able to find, he also got up and walked outside of the cave. Toothless had left his side at some point and the Night Fury was now exploring their surroundings. The Deadly Nadder stood next to the princess, her snout touching the girl's shoulder. Astrid was stroking Stormfly's head absent-mindedly while looking into nothingness.

"What's on your mind?" he asked and the appearance of his voice made Astrid jump. She turned her head in a blur and just looked at him for a couple seconds without saying anything.

"I was just thinking," she began, her voice trailing off. She bit her bottom lip and it seemed as though she was wondering if she should say whatever was on her mind. "My father's planning an attack on Berk."

"He is?" Hiccup asked and received a nod from the princess. He wasn't surprised to hear that, but he was beyond surprised by the fact that Astrid had decided to tell him that as though she truly wanted Berk to be prepared for it. "When?"

"I don't know, he doesn't tell me any details. I just know that he wants to attack Berk soon."

"I see," the prince said and narrowed his eyes in thought. He looked into the distance, thinking about what he had just heard. Hiccup appreciated Astrid's honesty, but he couldn't help but wonder whether the princess realised that by revealing such a relevant piece of news, she put Briralians at an even greater risk. If Berk knew to be prepared, their counterattack would be much more brutal and the knights of Briral stood a higher chance at losing their lives. The prince shifted his gaze from the nothingness and moved it towards Astrid. "Thank you for telling me this."

And he truly meant it.

She bit her lip, looking very troubled still. "I don't know if it was wise for me to tell you that, but it felt wrong to keep it from you since we see each other very often."

"Well, I don't know if it did any good for Briral, but it certainly will help Berk," Hiccup answered honestly and he looked at Toothless that was still exploring the forest and the clearing several feet from them.

Astrid just hummed in response. After that, a short silence fell in between them during which they both just looked around them and listened to the evened breaths of the Timberjack. Maybe it was Hiccup's imagination, but it truly sounded as though the herbs and potions had already started helping the wounded dragon – when it breathed, it didn't sound as heavy and pained as before. The thought of that sent a warming sensation through his body.

So, there was another war coming for Berk, and Hiccup knew that thanks to the last person from whom he'd have expected to hear about it. However, because of Astrid they would be prepared and they wouldn't lose as much in the battle as they usually did.

Was this her way of paying Hiccup back for saving her neck multiple times? If so, the prince was more than happy to accept it.

* * *

**There's a possibility for me to write two chapters from Astrid's POV towards the end of the story. Would you like for that to happen, or do you want me to stick to Hiccup's POV? :)**


	15. On Speaking Terms?

The first thing Hiccup did the next morning was go to his father to tell about the attack that Briral was planning on Berk. After he had successfully sneaked Toothless through the kingdom grounds and handed it to Fishlegs who had known to wait for their return, he sprinted towards the castle and made his way through the corridors and past a bunch of guards, who received a simple 'good morning' from the prince as he rushed by them.

The doors to the Throne Room were opened and Hiccup was relieved to see Stoick there. Not that he wasn't expecting to see him sitting on his throne – it really did seem like he even slept on it.

Stoick was reading a lengthy piece of parchment that had fresh ink on it, but the sound of the wooden doors opening distracted him and he shot his head up to meet his son.

"Hiccup, what–"

"Briral is planning an attack on Berk," the prince cut the king off as he came to a halt in front of Stoick.

They looked at each other. Hiccup saw Stoick's confused face and Stoick saw Hiccup's alerted face. The moment was accompanied by silence. A long, pressing silence.

"When is it happening?" the king finally asked, putting a lot of emphasis on the first word.

"I don't know," the prince replied.

"Where are they attacking? From the ground or air?"

"I don't know that either."

Stoick frowned. "Where did you hear about this?"

Hiccup didn't answer immediately. How was he supposed to answer that question without revealing the fact that he was committing treason almost every other night? On his way back to Berk, all he had been able to think about was Astrid and how she had once again proved to be so different and so…interesting. Now he was just annoyed by the fact that he had wasted a full six hours on thinking about her.

By Odin, what was happening to him? He had always been praised for his tendency to be a good planner, and now mostly everything he did went downhill faster than he could say 'what an idiot you are'.

"Well?" the king pressed on, looking at his son very intently now.

Hiccup wasn't sure how long he had been just standing there, looking dumbfounded and wearing all his thoughts on his facial expression.

The prince cleared his throat to allow himself one more second before answering. "I have a reliable source who wants to remain unknown."

"And this source of yours lives in Berk?" Stoick asked, rubbing his beard in thought, the piece of parchment securely clutched in his other hand.

"Oh, yes."

There was another silence, but this time the king looked thoughtful and slightly troubled. During the silence Hiccup pictured himself standing next to his father and hearing this piece of news from someone else. How would he react? What would the Hiccup with a working brain make of it?

He'd probably be surprised that there was a Berkian who knew about Briral's plans. Then he'd suspect the reliability of the source – why would a Berkian know about Briral's plans? If the person wanted to remain nameless, it could've only meant that there would be something bigger going down and Briral would want to make them blind to it.

Wait, was that why Astrid had told him about it? To make the whole of Berk alerted and blind to the real threat, whatever that could be?

"Do you really trust this source?" his father asked out of the blue and Hiccup wasn't expecting to hear that question.

The prince hesitated for a moment. "I – yes," he then said. He didn't know what made him say that as he was currently fighting solo in his inner battle about whether to trust Astrid's words or not.

Not trusting her would definitely be the most logical thing to do, but he couldn't fill his head with that thought no matter how hard he tried. For some odd reason he knew that her words could be trusted.

"What is the reason why they want to stay anonymous? If what they say is true, a reward is awaiting them and there shouldn't be any need for them to hide."

Hiccup had a sudden urge to laugh but he barely managed to hold it in. If only his father knew. "Does it matter? As far as I can remember, we haven't gone this long without one of us setting the other kingdom on fire. Isn't it obvious that Briral will be on us soon? I mean, I've been thinking about it for some time now and I was more surprised that they didn't already come for us last week."

"I won't deny that this silence has made me suspicious, too. Perhaps you're right. Whether or not it is true, we should still be prepared for every possible situation. I still advise you to order this person to come and see his king, for this secrecy makes me doubt where his loyalties lay," Stoick said in that authoritative voice that he often used in hearings. "To me it sounds unusual that someone in Berk possesses such information. He might be a spy for Briral."

Hiccup nodded, trying his best to look sanguinary.

When he finally left the Throne Room, his head was filled with one, massive thought.

He really had to _try_ to look like he wanted to shoot down as many Briralians as possible. True, he had never been big on killing – he could do it, he didn't even want to think how many had lost their lives because of him and Toothless – but if doing it meant that Berk was safer, he had never had problem with it before. Not until now.

He didn't know how long he had been able to think of Briral without hateful thoughts filling his mind. Was it a day? A week? He had completely lost track of time, thanks to all the sleepless nights he had lived through lately. Even if he couldn't tell the specific time, he knew that he didn't feel hatred towards that kingdom anymore. For a split second, Hiccup wondered how it was possible for him to have such a drastic change of heart in a very short amount of time when for 20 years he had been served hatred as a side dish for breakfast and dinner.

Was it because there was no real reason behind the grudge which was why it was easier to replace his despising thoughts with something else?

Even if he couldn't make sense of all his thoughts for now, the undeniable fact was that a war was about to dawn on them and it was his responsibility to make sure that all knights and dragon trainers would know what was waiting for Berk. And he also needed to go to Gothi to tell her to make more of those potions that they gave to the Timberjack last night.

* * *

The following days Hiccup couldn't help but notice that his mind had been more consumed by the thought of seeing Astrid Hofferson than that of helping the dragon. Whenever he let his mind travel to the upcoming night, the first thing he thought of was the princess and her outlines in the dark and everything she had revealed about herself so far.

Hiccup had even made a mental list of that. The list included the most basic things, such as 'she is a princess' and 'she lives in Briral', but it also contained everything else.

So far, the prince knew that Astrid was living a very strict life that she wasn't seemingly enjoying. As a princess she wasn't allowed to do almost anything that could be described with the word 'fun'. That made her sneak out with her Deadly Nadder, Stormfly, and she was a very skilful dragon rider just like Hiccup. Astrid was also good at handling swords – or axes according to her – and she apparently had a friend called Heather who had trained her in secret. She also very much wanted peace between Berk and Briral.

Hiccup often found him repeating that list in his head, and he just didn't really understand why. He also found it odd that he wanted to see Astrid more than he wanted to see the dragon.

"Maybe it is because you want more information about the attack? Astrid's your only source for that, and the dragon cannot help you there," Fishlegs had suggested when Hiccup had opened up about this. He knew that he could always trust Fishlegs to pour some sense into his brain when he wasn't able to do it himself.

And that was what he kept on telling himself because it made the most sense. Of course he'd want more information out of Astrid; knowing more would mean that Berk was going to be safer. But why did his brain need to keep on telling him that she wasn't enjoying her life in Briral when that didn't have anything to do with the attack?

So when they finally met that evening, three days since their previous meeting, Hiccup tried to find out more about the plans while they took care of the dragon. However, the short moments he had spent with the princess had taught him something about her – she wasn't stupid.

"So, anything new?" he started, already aware of the fact that his attempt would be no use.

Even though the prince didn't mention what he was talking about, Astrid guessed it immediately. "They've had a great deal of meetings about it, at least two every day. Some are shorter, others last several hours."

Hiccup remained silent for a moment, hoping for the princess to go on. When that didn't happen, he said: "So you still don't know any details?"

"No, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Just knowing that there's going to be an attack soon should be enough for you."

"Yeah, okay," he said as he checked one of the wounds. It had healed slightly, but if the rest of the wounds looked like this, the dragon would have no chance at flying for at least a week.

There was a pause.

"Well, that certainly was easy," the princess finally commented with a hint of surprise in her voice.

Hiccup didn't look up. "I wasn't expecting you to turn your back on your own kingdom, so it was obvious you wouldn't tell me anything."

"But yet you asked."

The prince just shrugged. "I guess it was worth a try."

As Hiccup was carefully studying the wounds, Astrid looked up and stared at him with a questioning look. This was completely missed by Hiccup though, and when the prince raised up his head, she was already busying herself with the Timberjack.

"So, are your knights excited to face Briralians?" Astrid asked after a long silence during which they had been treating the dragon's injuries. She asked it in a conversational tone as if they were discussing the weather which was getting chillier and chillier each day.

"Some of them don't actually believe that the attack is going to happen," Hiccup said.

"Why?" the princess asked in a surprised tone. Hiccup looked up and saw that in Astrid's hand there was an opened vial that she was about to give to the dragon but had stopped the motion midway through. She had her eyes fixed on him and she was looking at him with a deep frown. "How do you know that? Can knights be this open to the royals in Berk?"

"No," the prince answered. "I have other ways of getting such information. They don't believe it because they don't think it's normal for us to know about it before Briralians are on their way. I also have fighting practice with them every single day, and it's obvious that they have their doubts about it."

"You practise fighting every day?" she repeated, clearly interested.

"Yes, of course. It's really ironic though, as when I become King, there will be no use for my skills as I'll be sitting all day on the throne. Or at least that's what my father does."

"It must feel great to have such responsibilities, though," the princess stated with a hint of sadness in her voice. She dropped her gaze back on the dragon and moved the vial towards its mouth. "You get to do something important for your kingdom all the time."

"It's definitely something," Hiccup admitted. "Sometimes I just feel it's impossible to please my father, I always feel like he expects more from me. I also don't think it's helping that I am frien– I mean, on speaking terms with my worst enemy."

The word almost slipped. It didn't go unnoticed by Astrid though, as she instantly looked up at him. She smiled at him weakly and Hiccup's mouth automatically started reflecting that smile. He didn't know what they were at this point. Acquaintances? Friends? Two royals that just happened to see each other weirdly often? Whatever it was, something had certainly changed between them.

* * *

It took them a while longer to take care of all the wounds, after which they got out of the cave and just stood by the entrance. Neither of them was looking at anything in general. There really was nothing left for them to do and the most reasonable thing to do was leave back for their kingdoms, but neither was taking that first step towards their dragons.

The night was chilly and it would only be a matter of time that frost began to cover the ground. Winter always came early around these lands as they were very far in the north, but that was something Hiccup was used to. In fact, in comparison to other winters, this year it was delayed by a week or two.

"You know, I sort of envy you," Astrid said with a sigh, breaking the silence.

Hiccup looked down at her with drawn eyebrows. "Why? There's really nothing glorious about my life."

"There is. You don't have rules. You may have to follow some right now because of your father, but once you're the king of Berk, you could tell that the moon is yours and that would be the new law in your kingdom."

"There's much more to being a king than claiming the moon. You alone have to make important decisions every day that could seriously affect the future of your kingdom."

They still weren't looking at each other, but Hiccup could see from the corner of his eyes how Astrid crossed her arms across her chest. "But that's the thing. Alone. You think it's that way, but kings don't need to do it alone. They have their queens by their side, if only they let them help."

Hiccup thought on her words. He wished he were more familiar with Berk's customs when it came to queens and princesses. His father seemed to have love Mother with all his heart, so the prince didn't want to believe that Stoick had never listened to Valka's opinion on important matters because of some stupid laws. Hiccup supposed it was easier to do that if there was no love between the royal couple, which more often than not was the case.

"I think you're right. I don't see why a queen's opinion would matter less than that of a king. Two minds is better than one anyway, isn't that right?"

"I wish everybody else would see it that way," the princess said bitterly. "Imagine sitting around while being totally useless."

Hiccup wanted to say that he understood her, but the thing was he didn't. He couldn't put himself in her shoes as a prince, and he would never know what it was like to be a princess. Just as she didn't know what his life was like as a prince.

So, he said: "Those rules are absurd. I hope they will be changed for you one day" and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze without thinking much about it.

Astrid's eyes moved from the forest to Hiccup's hand that was now placed on her shoulder. They then exchanged a look and Astrid smiled at him, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"Princess Arleigh will be lucky to have you as her king."

Hiccup blinked in shock and he slowly dropped his hand from Astrid's shoulder. That was one of the last sentences he had expected to come out of her mouth. He had no clue that other kingdoms were aware of the agreement between Berk and Olissa that was made several years ago, let alone Briral who was supposed to be kept in the dark about anything that had something to do with Berk.

It wasn't even that. The prince had completely forgotten that he was practically engaged, had been since he was 13 years old. Whenever Princess Arleigh was brought up in a conversation, Hiccup felt nothing. He had always treated it as one of his duties to the kingdom, because that was precisely what it was – a bond with the kingdom of Olissa would be crucial for Berk's future because of its location and wealth.

But now, instead of feeling no emotions at all, the mere mention of Arleigh's made him slightly annoyed and he didn't like the sudden turn of this conversation at all. He didn't understand where that strong emotion was emerging from and why it was surfacing only now and not earlier when it had had seven years to do so.

"I've never even met her," Hiccup felt the need to say before he could stop himself. "I don't even know if I will like her."

The princess standing next to the prince gave him a very small smile that radiated sadness.

Their dragons let out some loud noises at the edge of the clearing. The royals turned to look in their direction, and to their surprise they saw Toothless and Stormfly getting along really well. It really seemed like they were communicating in some dragon way and having a friendly rivalry.

Astrid chuckled at the sight. "Looks like they're past that 'being on speaking terms' stage."

Hiccup bit his lip to stop himself from chuckling out loud. He couldn't believe he had actually said that, it sounded so ridiculous now.

Were they friends? That wasn't something that could be asked, but Hiccup found himself not minding if they were. The thought actually made him smile a bit.

So much had changed during the past weeks.  
Hiccup really hoped the change was for the better.  
There was a voice resonating within him that told him that it was, and he chose to believe it.

* * *

**Hehehee I hope you liked this chapter where Hiccup is in a bit of denial x) I hope that at least some of you remembers the brief mention of Arleigh in the first chapter!**  
**All your feedback is greatly appreciated! I would so love to hear your thoughts on this chapter or the story in general. Your comments motivate me to write a lot!**


	16. Strange Feelings

They met again two days later. Hiccup had forgotten to bring one of the herbs with him as he had been so busy running around Berk that day that his visit to Gothi had been extremely short. He just hadn't had time for her piercing and scanning look, so he had just come rushing into her hut, grabbed the vials and herbs from the table and walked out. The prince was almost certain that the court physician knew that he was taking care of a dragon somewhere outside of Berk's walls and she was just waiting for him to spill the beans, but Hiccup couldn't risk it. If she told about it to somebody, it would only be a matter of time that he would be followed and he would have to say goodbye to Berk as his secret was out.

So, before they got to the wounded dragon, they had to look for that herb in the woods. That turned out to be a more challenging task than Hiccup cared to admit, and what made the task even more difficult was the fact that it was pitch black out there and their only source of light was dragon fire, but fire wasn't a very extensive light source so Hiccup and Astrid could only see a couple feet in front of them.

"Are you sure we're going to find that herb when the winter is nearly upon us? What did it look like again?" Astrid asked, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Gothi has had no problems finding it, so I'm sure we will find it, too. And it's a white flower, it grows very close to the ground. It's the leaves that we will be needing, or at least that's the part I've seen her use and she always just throws the flowers away," Hiccup answered, intently looking at the small area that Toothless' plasma blast illuminated. Occasionally he also looked down at his feet in case he was about to step on the flower.

Their search went on for what felt like an eternity, but in reality it only took them about half an hour to find what they were looking for. Hiccup carefully took his dagger from the holster that was strapped around the arm of his flight suit and chose the flower with most leaves before cutting it from the stem. On their way back to the cave, their eyes had got so used to the light from their dragons that it took them a while to get used to the dark, so in the beginning they proceeded very slowly.

"You once mentioned that your father owns all the dragons in Briral except for Stormfly," Hiccup said and Astrid turned to look at him. Their eyes met, but it was impossible to distinguish any emotion from her face in such bad lighting. "Why?" he continued.

"Why he owns all the dragons or why he doesn't own Stormfly?" she counter questioned.

"Both."

Astrid thought about her answer for a moment. "I guess he feels he has a better control over his subjects when he can claim the ownership of the dragons. Nobody has a dragon of their own, but of course the knights have a dragon or two that they're most familiar with so it is easier to go into battle when you're riding a dragon that you already know.

"He doesn't own Stormfly because she was his gift to me many years ago. I think it was my 15th birthday at that time. He said she is all mine, so he cannot take her away from me like he can with the other dragons. But I still think that his gift was a bit silly."

"Why?" Hiccup asked, surprised by her reply.

"Because I am not supposed to be doing anything with Stormfly. Don't get me wrong, I love Stormfly with all my heart, but if I obeyed my father, she would literally be something I just goggle at in the stables. I am allowed to go flying with her twice a week so that she gets some fresh air, but that's about it. My father thinks it's not appropriate for a princess to be around dragons a lot, and yet he got me one for my birthday. Can you sense the irony?"

"That definitely has a foul stench to it," the prince agreed, trying to keep his eyes on the princess while occasionally paying attention to the ground so that he didn't trip over anything.

Their eyes had gotten used to the dark now and it was slightly easier to see where they were going. Neither had wandered around these woods before so the ground was unknown to them. Hiccup only knew the general size of the forest as he and Toothless had once flown over it to add it to a map. He, however, knew that they should head towards the north as the western part of the woods belonged to another kingdom and the last thing they wanted was to be captured, especially since it wasn't a kingdom that Berk was an ally with. The prince was positive that it would be at least a couple miles before they would reach the border of that kingdom, but he didn't want to risk more than he already was.

"The strict rules have led me to disobeying my father. I am so lucky to have Heather as my friend as she has taught me so many things along the years. It is some common belief that a princess should be seen rather than heard so my days consist of my mother teaching me how to live up to that and I can't just stand it. I usually sneak out almost every night because living in the castle drives me insane, that's why I was in the woods that night when we first met."

Hiccup was in search of words. He wanted to say something a bit more interesting than 'I am sorry to hear that', but he hadn't expected Astrid to open up like that. The prince allowed himself a couple seconds to munch on what the princess had just said. He understood why she was frustrated with her life – he was pretty sure that he would be ten times worse as he had a tendency to take things slightly more dramatically than others.

The prince's mind travelled back to the moment when they were hiding from the knights of Berk in that small cave. Astrid's annoyance at his judging words made much more sense now and he found himself regretting saying them. Hiccup wanted to believe he wouldn't have said those words had they had that conversation when he no longer considered the princess an archenemy, but the truth was that he didn't know if that was true – how could he?

"So that's why you couldn't get Stormfly any help after the accident in the woods?" Hiccup finally said as he was unable to form his other thoughts into words.

"I tried, but nobody took it that seriously. We don't have poisonous, sharp weapons laying around in Briral so people thought I was overreacting over some little wound. It took ages for my father to finally believe me and send a physician to have a look at her. When Stormfly returned to Briral and she was back to her normal health, many people kept telling me that I should leave dragons to those that understand them. The nerve," she said, spitting out the last part. She looked very irritated by the memory that was currently occupying her mind.

Before Hiccup had time to react, Astrid collected herself and she turned to look at the prince with a curious look. "So, what's your story?"

"My story?"

"How you and Toothless became a team, what made you travel alone in the woods that night, anything about your life in Berk that is bothering you. You know, the basics."

Hiccup snorted at 'basics'. His mind instantly recollected the moment when he and Toothless bonded and his features turned all soft at the fond memory. He shifted his gaze to the ground and they leapt over a fallen tree before he began talking.

"I was 15 and we had just heard about the existence of dragons and that you had already begun training and taming them–"

"Oh yeah, I remember my father being furious when he heard Berk had followed our lead."

"Uhm, right. Anyway, we didn't know how to get to them as we had no clue about a dragon's behaviour, so we just followed the rumours about the possible locations where the dragons were living. We were by a big swamp when I found Toothless. He was about to drown in the swamp, half of his wings was already hidden underneath the surface. He was obviously tired and he didn't have any strength left to get out himself, so I rushed to get help and with the help of the knights and some rope, we could pull Toothless out of the swamp. We soon noticed that he was missing the other part of his tail and there were several injuries across his body, I still don't know what caused him to lose his tail like that, but I just felt like I had to help him somehow.

"So we took him to Berk – that journey took three times longer than normally as we had an exhausted dragon with us – and we began to clean his wounds and had a better look at the damaged tail. At first we didn't know it would matter so much since we thought he would only need his wings to fly, but once Toothless recovered, it became obvious that he couldn't fly so we had to start planning how to help him.

"Back then I was still living my arrogant life and normally I would've just waited until our subjects did the work, but I felt some sort of strange connection with Toothless and I felt as though I was the one who had to help him. So I started visiting him every single day, and eventually we formed a bond. I still remember the rush of excitement when his snout touched my palm for the first time and he let me come near him."

They both looked at Toothless that was walking in front of them. Their eyes trailed on the fake tail made of leather and metal. The prince still remembered the triumphant feeling when they had finally cracked the mystery behind the tail and how to make it work so that Toothless could fly and be flown on. It had felt better than winning a battle. In fact, now Hiccup wondered how he could've even compared those things back then.

"I sneak out to fly with Toothless when I want to have some alone time. I am allowed to go beyond the borders of Berk, but I must always be accompanied by at least one knight, so the only way to go alone is to do it in secret. It is also my way to clear my head if there's been something that bothered me during the day, or if I feel like my responsibilities and the expectations people have of me are too much. When I'm in the sky, it's just me and Toothless and my royal titles don't follow me at my heels."

"Would your father be mad if he found out that you've been sneaking out?" Astrid asked, interest evident in her voice.

They were now standing by the cave entrance and it seemed as though neither of them remembered why they were here in the first place as they didn't move a muscle to go inside the cave. They were just looking at each other in the dark.

"I think he would be. At least he would make guards stand by my chambers every single night to make sure I am not sneaking out. He doesn't want me to be reckless and risk my life, as if I'm not doing that when I am fighting for my life in tournaments or in a battle, but I suppose that's a different thing in his books."

Astrid hummed. "My father's mad about tournaments too. Since he doesn't have a son, he competes himself. He always wins because no one dares to bring shame upon him, and you can see that he's not the best because he hasn't had to fling his sword since he was crowned as King of Briral."

They stood in silence for a moment before they both seemed to remember what they were meeting for, so they made their way inside the cave where the dragon still was. It was fast asleep, and it was no longer breathing unevenly. It was clear that it was recovering fast. Hiccup assumed that the Timberjack would do well on its own from now on, but something at the back of his mind was not liking this thought. He had started to like these nightly meetings with Astrid and he didn't want them to end just yet.

"It looks much better now," Astrid said in thought after she had taken a proper look at the dragon. "It's giving signs of life and the wounds have healed almost completely."

Hiccup just nodded while rummaging the leather pouch for the other herbs and potions. He gave the flower to Astrid so she could pick the leaves. She sat down on the ground with her knees bent and legs to one side and she carefully placed the leaves on her lap as she took them from the stem.

"Do you think we still need to come back here after tonight?" she continued once she realised that she wasn't getting a verbal response from the prince.

The tone she said that in made Hiccup raise up his head to look whether her face resembled what he had heard. There had definitely been hope in her voice, as if she was hoping for him to say 'yes'. She was staring at the prince with an expectant look, or at least that was what it looked like in the very dim light.

Hiccup spoke before his mind started working: "I think we need to come back one more time, just to be sure. I don't think some of these wounds have fully healed yet, so they still need treatment."

Astrid hummed in agreement. "Great, let's do it."

* * *

Once they finished the routine that had already become familiar to them, they walked outside of the cave and just looked around them. Just like last time, Toothless and Stormfly were having the time of their lives as they played around together. Thankfully they were wise creatures and they didn't make much noise as they ran around the clearing.

The realisation that this could be the last time they met felt heavy on Hiccup's shoulders. He didn't understand why he was reacting to the fact so strongly, but a part of him was dearly wishing for the night to linger on forever.

His mind was being stupid.

"Hiccup," Astrid began and the prince looked at her. "I need to tell you something."

Right after she finished her sentence, a loud crack echoed somewhere in the forest and it startled both of them. Their dragons were on the other side of the clearing so it couldn't have been them. That only meant there was something else in the forest, too.

"What was that?" she asked and her hand was reaching for the handle of her axe. How come hadn't Hiccup noticed it was there?

"I don't know, but don't worry, I'm here so nothing will happen," Hiccup said reassuringly and he, too, put his hand on his sword, ready to draw it out.

"Funny, because I was about to say the exact same thing," she replied.

The cracking noise appeared again and drew out their weapons. Toothless and Stormfly sensed their tension and galloped to Hiccup and Astrid's side, Toothless growling at the darkness before them. They stood there with their weapons out for a moment but they couldn't hear any sound apart from the wind and Toothless' low, threatening growl.

"Who is it there?" Hiccup shouted, not sure if it was wise. "Declare yourself."

They waited. No answer.

"Maybe it was an animal or something. Like a deer or a dragon," Astrid suggested as she put her axe in the holster she was carrying in her back with a sigh of relief. "Whatever it was, at least it decided to leave us alone."

"Yeah, thank gods we didn't have to put up a fight or anything," Hiccup said, relief clear in his voice too.

Toothless and Stormfly also became less tense and they stopped glaring in the general direction of where the sound came from.

"So, what were you about to tell me?" the prince asked suddenly. He put the sword back in the scabbard and metal against metal let out a piercing sound through the woods. "You know, before that sound–"

"Hiccup, look out!" Astrid said in a panicked voice and forcefully pushed herself against Hiccup, sending them both to the ground. A shot of fire missed Astrid's hair by a couple inches.

There was a loud roar that was coming from the cave. Toothless instantly sensed the danger his human was in so with a couple jumps he situated himself by the entrance, blocking it completely and glaring at the Timberjack murderously.

"What the– what happened?" Hiccup stuttered in utter confusion. The weight of Astrid on top of him made it hard for him to breathe.

"I don't know," Astrid said bewildered, her eyes fixed on Toothless. "We must have frightened the dragon."

"Maybe my sword woke it up," the prince suggested. His heart was beating fast from the adrenaline. "Thanks for saving my life though, I wasn't paying attention at all."

Astrid turned her attention towards Hiccup and for a moment they just looked each other in the eyes. The prince had never seen Astrid's face so up close, he could feel her breath brush against his cheek in uneven patterns. Even in the dark he could see just how beautiful she was.

"Don't mention it," she then said in a whisper and smiled. She rolled off him and stood up, offering her hand for Hiccup to take. The prince did so and they both spent a moment cleaning the dirt off their clothes.

It took a while for Hiccup to calm Toothless down so that the dragon let him get closer to the Timberjack. It was now fully awake, clearly frightened by the Night Fury and possibly the events that had just happened. The prince approached the dragon, carefully thinking trough every step before he took it, trying his best to not scare the creature even more. Once next to it, he placed his hand on its snout and bit by bit the Timberjack began to calm down.

"Everything alright in there?" he heard Astrid ask at the entrance.

"Yeah," Hiccup breathed out. "I think it's calmed down now."

The prince left the wounded dragon and exited the cave. It was beginning to be late and they both realised it was time for them to part ways and return to their kingdoms.

"Hiccup," Astrid began once again. "About what I wanted to tell you."

"Yea?"

"I–" she hesitated. "Briral will be in Berk in three days."

She said it very fast and Hiccup almost missed half of the words. It took him a moment to form the words into a sentence in his brain.

"Three days?" he repeated as he took his helmet off the ground. He didn't yet put it on, but he waited for Astrid to speak.

"Yes. I don't know what they're planning, I have just everyone heard when they will leave."

Hiccup considered her words for a couple seconds before nodding. "That will give Berk enough time to be prepared. Thank you for letting me know."

They both smiled at each other. The prince put the helmet on and they walked up to Toothless that was unsurprisingly accompanied by Stormfly. In no time they were sitting on the saddles on their dragons.

"I am sorry that I can't stop them," Astrid said sadly. "I don't want another war."

"I am sorry too," Hiccup replied. "But once we rule, things will be different."

It was the first time he had said that out loud, but giving voice to that thought felt good.

Great, even.

* * *

**Comments = love. **  
**Thank you to every single person who is reading my story, you all mean so much to me :)**


	17. Decisions and Uncertainty

**Thank you SO SO much for the great response the previous chapter received! You're all so amazing, I wish I could hug all of you.**

**Here have the next chapter where Hiccup makes some important decisions while his mind is raging with uncertainty because of a special someone ;)**

* * *

Hiccup wasn't going to make a mistake this time. He would be confronting Stoick with a complete, fool-proof plan in his mind. His poor execution of the white lies after Astrid's reveal about Briral's plans was still haunting him at the back of his head and he wanted to bury himself alive every time his brain decided to bring the moment up. And that was often.

He was in a bit of a quandary, however.

If he used the mysterious, nameless man as an excuse again, Stoick would surely _demand _his presence and that would turn out to be tricky considering that the man didn't exist. He couldn't make anyone play that part either, for it would be too dangerous for that poor, innocent man.

He thought of not telling his father, too. He soon dismissed that thought because of how cowardly it was. If it came down to it, he would rather risk his life if it meant that the majority of Berkians would remain safe.

Which had led him to considering telling his father the truth, or at least most of it. But how could he ever talk himself out of that situation? As much as he wanted the safety of his people, he also wanted to be around to ensure that. And what troubled him even further was the fact that when the thought of coming clear about his unlikely friendship with the princess of Briral arose in his mind, the main reason he pushed the thought away was because it would also put Astrid in danger. And if that wasn't enough, he also realised that admitting he was concerned for her safety didn't cause panic to flood within him, which would've surely happened a couple weeks back.

The prince had come to a dead end in his plan and it was already past midday. He just couldn't figure out any reason as to why he suddenly knew that they would be surrounded by an army of bloodthirsty Briralians in three days. All of his plans were either stupid or putting someone in mortal danger and as much as he hated to admit it, he felt like he was in a very Hiccup kind of situation. Something like this could only happen to him.

"Is something wrong?" Fishlegs asked once he entered Hiccup's chambers and saw the prince leaning onto the window behind his desk, his hand repeatedly hitting his forehead. "You've been acting weird all day."

"Have I?"

The annoyance couldn't have been clearer in his voice, but Hiccup didn't care – he was, indeed, annoyed as well as frustrated.

"Did something happen last night?" his friend asked again.

The prince could hear Fishlegs drop something on the floor and he quickly glanced in his friend's direction. He had come to deliver his washed clothes back to him, and his friend had placed the wooden basket in front of the wardrobe. Fishlegs, however, wasn't putting the clothes on the shelves – he was focusing on Hiccup, waiting for him to finally tell what was bothering him.

Hiccup dropped his hand to the side and turned around so that he was looking out the window, down to the marketplace that was always full of Berkians going about their daily life.

"Have you ever had to make a decision about something that only has bad outcomes?" he asked Fishlegs, dodging the earlier questions.

Fishlegs was silent for a short moment. "I have never had to make decisions like that, my life has always been more or less planned out for me," he then said thoughtfully. He waited for Hiccup to continue, but when he didn't do so, he said: "I suppose you need to decide what is the right thing to do?"

Hiccup shook his head, still looking out the window. "No, I know what's the right thing to do, I just don't know how to do it." He turned around to face his friend who clearly wasn't getting anything out of the prince's babbling. "Astrid told me that the Briralians will be here in three days."

"In three days? Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"Have you, I don't know, considered that she is lying? Why would she want to help Berk anyways?"

"It's not like that between us anymore. We're friends."

"You– what?" Fishlegs blurted out in a high-pitched tone. "How did _that _happen?"

Hiccup just shrugged. "I've been spending an awful lot of time with her lately, it's not that hard to stop hating someone when you don't even know what you hated them for in the first place. She's actually great, she's nothing like any other princess I've met. Like, she knows how to fight, can you believe she can hold a battle-axe and knows how to use it? There's always something interesting to discover about her every time we talk. Did you know she doesn't like her life in Briral?"

"No, of course I didn't," Fishlegs said, looking confusedly at Hiccup. "And were you going to tell me about this new friend of yours soon, or was I supposed to just find out about it?"

"I've been trying to distance you from this because I don't want you or anyone else to get in trouble because of me, and I believe that the less you know, the safer you are. I also sort of thought that it'd be obvious we no longer hated each other when she told me that there's going to be an attack, and you knew about that. Or when I told you I was looking forward to seeing her again but I wasn't sure why."

"I assumed you forced the information out of her or something and we both agreed that you only wanted to see her because you wanted to know more about Briral's plans. I didn't dare to believe that you'd be so quick to throw 20 years of hatred out the window like that."

Hiccup had to admit that Fishlegs had a point there. He had known Astrid for about two weeks now, and his negative emotions towards her had been really strong a short while ago and he was pretty much one of the last Berkians that were expected to change his mind so radically. But Hiccup would've been lying had he claimed to not enjoy it – not having so much hatred on his shoulders felt sort of refreshing and he felt he had more room for more important thoughts, such as the problem he was dealing with right now.

"Anyway, I just don't know how to tell my father what I know without losing my or anybody else's head. I suppose that telling the truth is what I will have to do if I can't come up with anything else, but the thing is I'm too scared to do that," the prince confessed. He wasn't sure why he said the last bit, but saying it out loud made him realise that it was the truth. He was scared because he didn't know what the consequences would be. He didn't know how serious Stoick was about the law when it was his only son that was breaking it. "Does that make me a coward?" Hiccup asked after a pause that had felt like forever. He looked at Fishlegs, hoping yet fearing to hear an honest answer from him.

"It doesn't. Anybody would be scared in your situation. Even the king."

Hiccup snorted. "Good one, as if my father would have ever gone against his father's words."

"You don't know that. He might have," Fishlegs answered and gave the prince a smile that didn't look convinced at all. "However, I think I might know something that can help you avoid spilling the beans."

Hiccup's lips parted slightly in confusion as he frowned at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"Lately I've heard the knights talk about the king's spies."

"Spies?" Hiccup repeated, even more confused than a moment ago. "Since when does my father have spies? What are they for and why on earth hasn't he told me anything?

"How could he have? You've been avoiding the king like a plague ever since you helped Astrid escape and he stopped keeping an eye on you after you came back from that trip. That hasn't gone unnoticed by the people that work in the castle, I did tell you that you're being too obvious. And as far as I know, their sole purpose is to spy on Briral. I don't know who they are, but I suppose that being unknown is the point."

The prince had to reverse the memories in his head to go through the previous weeks. Had he really been avoiding his father that much? He had just simply been busy, especially now that yet another battle was almost upon them and he had fighting practise twice as much as he normally did. And the only time he really had some peace and quiet was during the dinner time that was usually reserved for the father-son moment of the day, so he was glad to skip it and retreat to his own chambers or Toothless' stall. Even if he had avoided Stoick, surely there had been a moment when his father could've told him about his new plans.

Unless Stoick had seriously started suspecting his son and the spies had their eyes fixed on Hiccup.

The prince shook the thought off his mind in an instant – it wasn't like Stoick to order someone to spy on him. His father would've already confronted him about his suspicions if there were any, but Hiccup hadn't heard a single word out of his father's mouth that would've caused the alarms in his mind to go off.

Hiccup broke the short silence that had fallen upon them. "So you think I could just tell him that I heard it from his spies? I doubt that would work."

"It's worth a shot. The spies came back this morning so it would make sense that they have this sort of information to share."

"I hope you're right about it. Thank you for telling me this by the way, I do wish I had heard it from my father but I prefer it this way than not knowing at all," Hiccup said genuinely.

Fishlegs smiled slightly. "My pleasure. However, I think it'd be for the best if you didn't sneak out for a while. You know, to cool things down and to stop people, especially the king, from suspecting you."

Hiccup shook his head. "Too late for that, we already agreed that we'd meet in two days to give one last treatment to the dragon."

The smile faded from his friend's face and it was replaced with a look of terror. "In two days?!" he cried out. "But that's the eve of the battle!"

"Yes, Fishlegs, I am aware of that," the prince said. He knew exactly what his friend was about to tell him, but he waited for him to say it out loud nevertheless.

"Don't you think you need to rest before you start fighting for your life? What if something happens to you during the night and you won't make it to Berk by the time the battle begins?"

"I wouldn't be resting anyway because I would be too busy thinking about what is coming for us. You know I wouldn't. This way I can use the time for something a bit more useful and I may even get more information that will help us win this battle. And nobody's crossed my path so far, I don't see why this time should be any different. I may as well be murdered right here in my own chamber that night, you can never know what's going to happen."

"Yes, but–"

"Trust me, Fishlegs. Astrid and my meetings are going to be over after that, we won't be seeing each other ever again and I will return to my normal life."

Saying that made him feel something in his chest, as if he didn't want to put an end to their meetings. He assumed that he was reluctant to let go because he had finally started to looking forward to them. Sure, the dragon was the reason he had always been excited to go out there, but now there was something more and Hiccup had to admit that the additional feeling didn't have anything to do with the Timberjack in the cave. That certain feeling arose whenever he just thought of Astrid.

Perhaps he was just happy to finally have another friend?  
Yeah, that must be it.

Fishlegs let out a loud sigh as he looked at the laundry basket he had left by the wardrobe. "Tell me how useless my protest will be so I can decide whether or not I dive into it."

Although his friend wasn't looking at the prince anymore, he smiled at him in slight amusement. "It'd be really useless, so don't even bother."

Fishlegs just hummed to let the prince know that he had got the point and yet another silence fell upon them. Fishlegs started folding Hiccup's clothes into the wardrobe and reorganizing it so that it would look neater. The prince decided to turn his attention back to the market place underneath his window and he focused on the villagers. When he had difficulties seeing the people properly, it was only then he realised that there was a bit of frost on the window glass – he had been so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed that the first time around.

Hiccup placed his fingers on the window, and when he felt his fingertips get wet, he noted that the frost had also crept inside, but since it was much warmer in his chambers, it had melted and there were now several waterdrops on the glass.

As he shifted his gaze from the melted ice back to the market place, he watched the figures walk around. Some of them were standing in groups of two or three and were talking in what Hiccup could only assume to be a friendly manner. He was living so far up in the castle that he couldn't see the Berkians' faces so it was impossible to tell whether they were happy or distressed or something in between.

The prince thought about what he had realised a while back. In war, it wasn't the ones living in the safety of the castle that suffered; it was the villagers. If some part of the castle was destroyed, it could be fixed in no time, but it wasn't as simple for the ones who had to work hard to just have some food for their children. Seeing their homes burnt to ashes was probably a devastating view to them for it meant that they had to survive with even less food than normally, for they needed money to buy supplies for rebuilding.

Hiccup knew that something had to be done about that. He knew that his father wouldn't do it, but he could. There had to be a way for the prince to help their people even if his meeting with the king went horribly wrong. Now that he finally knew what kind of a kingdom he'd love to rule, he wanted to do something to strive for it. To let Berkians know what kind of a king he'd be, although he still wasn't entirely sure of that himself.

But what he was sure of was that in his Berk there'd be no useless grudges against other kingdoms and his people would be able to live a more peaceful life.

Hiccup was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Fishlegs silently laughing to himself. The prince instantly turned around to look at his friend with a questioning look. Fishlegs was still putting Hiccup's clothes into the wardrobe, so it must have been something else that was amusing him.

"What?" the prince asked and that gained Fishlegs' attention.

His friend just shook his head but his shoulders were slightly shaking from the bursts of voiceless laughter. "I was just thinking about everything you've told me this morning and how absurd it is that you've gone and befriended the princess of Briral, out of all people."

There it was again, the strange sensation that tingled all over his body just at the mere mention of Astrid.

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming myself either, but I'm really glad we both were able to look past the grudge," Hiccup replied with a smile. "And she doesn't seem to be at all like her father. Well, of course I can't be entirely sure what the king of Briral is like, but I have a faint idea. And everything my father has ever said about her is untrue. For example, he would always tell me that she always uses the opportunity to abuse her position if it benefits her, but that's literally the last thing she'd ever do. In fact, she doesn't even have much power as a princess, so she couldn't even do that."

Fishlegs looked up at Hiccup just as he was about to take the last piece of clothing from the basket. He wore an expression that the prince had hard time reading, but what he could tell for sure was his friend was still amused about something.

"The surprises you've brought on me are beginning to be so many that at this point I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you've developed romantic feelings for the princess of Briral," Fishlegs said happily as he turned back towards the wardrobe and freed his hands of the clothing.

Hiccup stared at the side of his friend, completely taken aback and unable to respond. It had taken him by surprise and his brain didn't seem to know how he was supposed to be reacting to Fishlegs' joke. He didn't even know why it had such a strong effect on him – it was, after all, just a joke and there was nothing else to it.

Fishlegs noticed the prince's silence when he was lifting up the wooden basket from the floor. He looked up at him again and he misinterpreted the blank expression on Hiccup's face. "Of course that'd never happen, I was just joking. I'm sorry if I upset you," he rushed to say, looking a bit alarmed. He apparently feared that he had taken a step too far and insulted Hiccup or something.

"I– uhm…no, you didn't upset me. I– I was just lost in other thoughts," Hiccup lied poorly. Gods, why was he reacting like this?

The prince's response didn't seem to convince Fishlegs, for he apologised one more time before he rushed out of the chambers with a quick 'good luck' before he disappeared behind the sturdy wooden doors. Hiccup was left staring at the doors, trying to figure out his head. He was mad at his mind for failing him like that when there was no reason to do it.

He was just simply taken aback by the comment that came out of nowhere. He hadn't been prepared to hear something like that which was why he had reacted so strangely. There was no other sensible explanation for it, because he only liked Astrid as a friend.

Next time he crossed paths with Fishlegs, he would turn the entire situation into a joke so that Fishlegs would be aware that the prince wasn't mad at him and his friend wouldn't get any fallacious ideas.

He would never like Astrid more than as a friend.

* * *

Or would he?

Hiccup tried his very best to concentrate on more pressing matters, such as the fact that he had a kingdomful of people to come up with a rescuing plan for, and he needed to completely reorganise most of the posts since some dragons, knights and guards needed to protect the Berkians, but Fishlegs' harmless words were distracting him all the time.

It just wasn't like him to constantly think about one person and be in desperate need to know more about them. It also wasn't like him to feel a tingling sensation all over his body just by thinking about someone.

He very hard tried to tell himself that whatever it was, it didn't matter because he was destined for Princess Arleigh. He shouldn't be bothering his head with something that had no importance in his life.

But he just _couldn't_ stop thinking about it, and that kept irritating him.

When he finally found some space in his mind for the rescue plan, he grabbed the thought with all his might and tried to hold onto it so that his thoughts wouldn't travel back to the dangerous waters. His people was what mattered the most right now, and he already knew what he had to do.

He would tell the guards to take Berkians to the underground tunnels that would be guarded by as many dragons and knights as they could bear to lose from the actual battle, and most of the guards would remain in the city extinguishing the fires that were set on the houses. He hoped that this way they'd decrease the number of deaths among the villagers, and they'd return to half-burnt homes instead of fully burnt, which would mean that they needed fewer supplies to rebuild.

Since there was no telling whether he'd be seeing the plan implemented, he decided it was for the best if he started carrying it out now before he went to see his father. He truly hoped he was overreacting and his meeting with the king would turn out all good, but he didn't want to walk into the Throne Room with too much confidence. It was always when he thought he knew what he was doing when things went south and quick.

So once he found one of their many knights walking around the castle grounds, he walked up to him and told him about his plans to take the people to the tunnels. The knight – whose name Hiccup couldn't remember – listened in interest and kept on nodding to let the prince know that he was following him. Hiccup wanted to make it very clear that they needed to start supplying the tunnels as much as possible because they didn't know how long the battle was going to last. The knight seemed to like the idea and he promised to let all the knights and guards know about the plan.

When the knight was off again, Hiccup was left alone with two thoughts that were nagging at him.

First, the next thing he would have to do was face Stoick. He didn't know how facing his own father could be so terrifying, but he sure hoped there weren't many people out there who had to feel this way.

When he walked towards the Throne Room, he realised that his earlier plans to go in fully prepared had been ruined – he had no clue what he would be doing there. He didn't know if he should try to use the spies as an excuse or if he should just tell his father the truth. Just thinking about the latter made him want to throw up out of pure nervousness.

As he walked in the corridor that would lead him to his destination, he passed by a few maidens that looked really young and were carrying some very heavy-looking baskets that were full of dining equipment such as plates and glasses. Despite having those in their hands, they humbly curtsied to Hiccup. One of them looked up just as the prince smiled at them and her eyes grew much bigger in surprise. Once Hiccup was past them, he could hear that maiden whispering excitedly to the other ones and they all started giggling. It was moments like this that made the prince realise how isolated he was from the people of no noble blood – even a small gesture like that was unexpected from him.

Now, with his mind clear about the Berk of his (possible) reign, he finally began to see how…wrong some of the rules were. Why should their subjects be treated like they were nothing when they were the ones serving and doing almost everything for them?

The doors to the Throne Room were opened, but it was empty. Hiccup had to blink a couple times to make sure he hadn't just got momentarily blind. There really was no one, and the deserted sight looked unfamiliar to him; he was so used to seeing his father sitting on that massive throne while Gobber was either standing close by the king or was behind the throne working on something. The candles around the room were still lit, so that either meant that they would be back soon or they had just left.

Hiccup was standing next to the doors, so he turned around and walked in front of the guards on the other side. He looked at both of them before asking: "Where's my father?"

"He is in the Great Hall, My Lord. He should be accompanied by his advisor and some knights if I am not mistaken," the other one on the left side of the doors answered importantly, his chin very high up.

"Alright, thank you," Hiccup replied and was already on his way towards the other room.

Of course his father would be there – where else? It was Stoick's second most used place in the castle. It was where they always ate together and where the important meetings were held.

The guard had said that some knights were also involved. Would that mean that they were already planning how to best defend Berk from the Briralians? If so, why hadn't he been invited? No matter how differently Hiccup and Stoick viewed the world, it was always the prince's opinion that the king valued the most when it came to things like that, so why would he be excluded this time? Was this really his father's way of making his son aware that he had been avoiding him far too much?

His questions were soon answered as another pair of guards opened the large, wooden doors to reveal the Great Hall where there was already a chaos ongoing. The knights were shouting at each other and Stoick was roaring loudly over them. Gobber was looking at the sight before him with a raised eyebrow. Hiccup instantly realised that his assumptions had been wrong – the meeting had started a good while ago. A part of him was happy he had missed the most of it, but he also felt highly irritated by the fact that his father had decided to not involve him.

"I say we put all our forces outside of Berk so the filthy maggots cannot even reach our borders!" one of the knights shouted.

A few other knights let out a cry of approval, but others protested loudly.

"It's not going to work!"

"If they reach the borders, we'll be doomed!"

"We need to spread evenly so that all areas are protected!"

"But if we're stopping them before the even set their feet in Berk, there's nothing that needs protecting!" one of those that was for the idea argued.

Hiccup walked past the mass of angry knights, looking at them uncomfortably. He could already feel the restlessness building up inside him. He hoped he'd be out of the Great Hall before it got out of hand for him – he couldn't bear to live through another night with little to no sleep.

When the prince was by Stoick and Gobber, the advisor gave him a simple nod as a way of greeting, which Hiccup returned.

"We do everything as we always do, how many times will I have to tell this to you?" Stoick yelled, causing most of the knights to turn around to look at him. "The knights with dragons stand at the front, the rest will be shooting arrows from the towers. The guards will protect Berk inside the walls if the Briralians ever make it that far."

Some knights started shouting at each other again after they realised that the king had finished talking. That was when Hiccup saw his opportunity to tell his father what he knew.

"Uhm…Dad?" he started unsurely.

"Not now, Son," Stoick replied, not even turning to look at the prince. "I have important things that need to be attended to."

"But what I need to tell you is highly important!" he said, flailing his hands on his sides.

"I'm sure it can wait. I am busy now," his father said coldly.

Hiccup was silent for a couple seconds, looking at his father and trying to figure out what was going on in his head. Was his coldness simply because he thought his son's matter wasn't related to the attack, or was it because he was cross with Hiccup? The prince glanced at Gobber in search of help, but to no avail – the advisor was also looking at Stoick, the other eyebrow higher than ever.

"But Father–"

"NOT NOW!" Stoick roared and he finally looked at his son. His eyes were full of frustration and anger, and Hiccup just stared into them with a blank expression.

His heart had sunk to the bottom of his stomach. Gobber was taking turns in looking at the prince and the king, clearly confused as to what was going on. That hopefully meant that his father was just stressed about the attack because Stoick always told his advisor everything, and Gobber's reaction gave away the fact that he had no idea why the king was so angry at his son.

"Fine," Hiccup said with no emotion in his voice, though he could feel anger bubbling inside him.

He wanted to leave the meeting, but he knew that it was his responsibility to sit through the rest of it now that he was present, so the prince observed the view before him without uttering out a single word.

He had been mentally prepared to be shouted at for breaking the law. Now he wasn't even given a chance to tell his father that he had done that. The bad air that was left between him and Stoick stopped him from offering any sort of suggestions on how to better their defences. Not that it would've mattered anyway, for the anger he felt towards his father made him determined to go through with his plan to save the Berkians and their homes.

As he stood there in his own silence, he had too much time for his favourite and least favourite entertainment – thinking. He suddenly found himself wanting to fast forward to the night he'd be meeting with Astrid. He really wanted to share his plan with her because he knew she'd support it.

The strange sensation was there again.

Then his mind told him it'd most likely be the last time they'd ever see each other.

The strange sensation was replaced by a jolt of pain in his chest.

By Odin, what was wrong with him? Why couldn't he think of Astrid like any normal human being?

He sure did not have any romantic feelings for her.

He just couldn't.

* * *

**Ten more chapters to go! EEEEEEEEEEEEE.**  
**I honestly never thought this story would see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm so glad I picked it up again after like a 1,5 year break from it.**

**Once again, your feedback means the absolute world to me!**


	18. The Sad, Happy and Racing Heart

The following days before the battle were…strange, to put it lightly. There were many things affecting that.

Firstly, after the meeting in the Great Hall, Stoick had returned to his almost-normal self. He continued his life as though he hadn't raised his voice at Hiccup in front of a dozen pairs of eyes or he hadn't purposefully ignored his son. Yet there was still something that didn't sit quite right between them. No matter what Hiccup told the king, it felt like he was taking it with a pinch of salt and all that trust Stoick seemed to have gained for Hiccup over the years was nearly gone. It made Hiccup almost certain that his father knew about his secret and he was just waiting for his son to tell him about it himself, but if he could avoid it, the gods would have to fall to earth from Vanaheim for that to happen. Surprisingly enough, even though Stoick no longer seemed to take him seriously, he did believe Hiccup when he had told him the day after the meeting that the Briralians would be on them soon. The king had mumbled something about his spies telling him similar information, and the prince had finally discovered their real purpose – they were, indeed, spying on Briral to find out what was coming for Berk in this battle. As of now, it seemed like there was going to be nothing out of the ordinary.

Secondly, going against his father's plans definitely played its own part in making the days peculiar. Listening to Stoick's commands and pretending to obey them only to do almost the exact opposite once the king's back was turned on him was something he hadn't really done in such excessive amounts before. Hiccup still had a persistent will to act on his own plan that he hoped would save the Berkians from most of the harm, but everyone preferred to listen to the king's orders because not obeying them would cause a lot of trouble for those who didn't. Nobody was keen to have a similar fate to Sir Fairfax's, so once the king's plan was out and it was found out that the prince's bit wasn't part of it, the tunnel and the Berkians were quickly forgotten. It took a lot of time to convince enough knights and guards to board Hiccup's plan after that, but on the last day before the battle, the prince was sure he had a fair amount of people on his side. Now he could only hope that they would remain loyal to him despite hearing different commands from the king.

Thirdly, he often found himself counting the days, hours or minutes when he'd be flying off with Toothless to see Astrid again. And the dragon, he always told himself afterwards. Life in Berk had gotten so restless and nerve-racking with all the fuss about the upcoming battle that he was more than happy to escape from it for the night. He and Toothless could practise some steep movements in the sky on their way to the meeting place – there had been very little time for Hiccup to be around his dragon, what with the fighting practices and other errands he had to see to. He also really wanted to share his plan with the princess and hear her thoughts on it. He was sure she'd encourage him to act on it; not because it'd weaken Berk's defences against Briral, but because it would provide safety for the innocent.

* * *

They met again on the same spot they always did. It was always Astrid that had to wait for Hiccup, but this time Hiccup was there much before her. He refused to admit that he had left early because he had been too excited to just sit still in his chambers. He had tried to be unnecessarily slow putting on his flight suit, and he had taken double the time to put the saddle on Toothless, but there had still been at least an hour to spare until the moment he was supposed to departure.

So, there he was, alone with his dragon on the cliff where Stormfly was delivered back to Astrid, approximately one hour too early with nothing to do but think. Sometimes his brain really was a cursed thing.

Other people with a bit more sense in their heads would've been thinking about Berk and the battle and how their kingdom would survive from it. They would spare a thought for their plan, trying to find the holes in it and then figure out a way to fix them. That was how a normal person's brain would've worked.

But Hiccup's?

His brain was thinking about things that weren't supposed to matter, but they still did greatly.

Why did the princess of Briral have such a strong effect on him? She didn't even have to be present – the ghost of her in Hiccup's mind was enough to make him feel things. He didn't know if he wanted to feel them, and he was too tired of denying something was there. It had been two days now that he was battling with his thoughts, and they still made as little sense to him as they did back when Fishlegs jokingly mentioned 'romantic feelings'. The only remarkable difference that had happened was he had stopped denying the existence of whatever it was.

His mind felt the safest when he assured himself that he was just glad to have a new friend, and Hiccup was quite willing to hold onto that thought.

The prince threw his helmet on the ground out of frustration and he let out a loud grunt. He was annoyed by himself and this entire situation.

His life would be so much easier if he hadn't helped Astrid escape, he wouldn't be standing here breaking his father's trust even more, and he certainly wouldn't be about to see the girl whose head he was supposed to want detached from the rest of her body. Many Berkians would say he had made a great deal of mistakes in the past few weeks.

Hiccup couldn't see them as mistakes, was the thing. True, his life would be easier but not any better, that he realised. He couldn't believe his heart used to be filled with hatred, because now that was the last thing he felt when thinking about Astrid or Briral. Now his heart was feeling sad, but when he thought about the princess, it wasn't. It was the opposite of sadness, and no matter how strange his emotions were, he was quite happy about this change.

He was snapped out of his inner monologue when he heard that familiar voice behind him: "You're early."

Hiccup turned around in a blur and saw Astrid in front of him, sitting on Stormfly, looking down at him with a smile. The prince's lips curled into one as well without him realising it.

"Yep," he answered with a popping P. "I wanted to get out of Berk as soon as I could. Things are getting a bit heated there," he continued and gestured towards the general direction of where the kingdom was.

Astrid slid off the back of Stormfly and patted her on the side before the dragon trotted to Toothless. Both dragons playfully greeted each other and made dragon-like sounds that seemed to mean something to them as they were clearly having a joyful conversation.

"It's the same in Briral then. It looks like everyone's mind is consumed by the battle. Can you imagine how peaceful it will be once we are in charge of our kingdoms?" Astrid wondered as she eyed their dragons that were once again chasing each other for whatever reason.

"At the moment? To be honest, I can't because I've never seen an entirely peaceful day in Berk, so trying to imagine one feels like star-gazing now, but I can't wait to experience that one day," Hiccup replied, his gaze fixed on Astrid's temple that was hidden behind her fringe.

"Me neither," the princess replied with a sigh. She moved her attention from the dragons to Hiccup and for a moment they just stared and smiled at each other.

The slightly cold breeze went past them, causing the hair that wasn't part of Astrid's braid to dance in the wind. Some of it got in front of her eyes, and the prince felt the most sudden urge to raise his hand and move them out of the way, but he caught himself when his arm was mid-air. He awkwardly moved his hand towards his own hair – as though it was his intention all along – and wiped some of the locks away from his forehead.

"Should we get to that dragon?" Astrid asked. She glanced over the edge of the cliff.

It was pitch black down there – they could hear the trees because of the wind, but they could barely make out the outlines of them. The sky was moonless as usual, and there weren't any stars in the sky. There was nothing to shed light on the forest below them, so they would have to resort to their dragons' fire to have a chance at seeing something in the woods.

"Yea, let's go," Hiccup agreed and grabbed his helmet that he had forcefully thrown to the ground.

Astrid turned around and put her thumb and index finger into her mouth to blow a loud whistle. It instantly grabbed Stormfly's attention and she rushed towards her human. Toothless followed the lead and went up to Hiccup. They both got on their dragons with ease and soon after they glided down the cliff towards the forest.

Getting to the cave didn't take much time at all, especially now since they were familiar with the route. Toothless and Stormfly had a much better eyesight in the dark than the two royals did, so they dodged all the trees and large bushes without much difficulty. Hiccup hadn't closed the visor of his helmet, which caused his ears to buzz and eyes water in the headwind.

They landed shortly on the clearing that was by the entrance to the cave, and the first thing the prince noticed was the silence around them. He couldn't see into the cave in the dark, but he should've seen some movement. However, there was nothing.

The Timberjack was gone. There was no sign of the creature anywhere – only the uneven patterns of sand and dirt on the cave floor gave away the fact that something had been there, but it was impossible to tell how long the cave had been uninhabited.

It didn't come as a surprise to Hiccup though; given the state the dragon had been in during their last visit, it would've probably been more peculiar if it still were here. He turned to look at Astrid to see whether surprise was written on her face so that he knew if he should try to act as though he hadn't expected this. Her eyes were narrowed but she didn't look astounded. He didn't know if that was because her princess training had taught her to hide her strongest emotions, and in reality she was shocked to find the cave empty, or if she simply wasn't surprised by the sight.

"Looks like we did help that dragon survive," Astrid said, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah," Hiccup breathed out. "Too bad it's not here anymore."

"You didn't think this would happen?" the princess asked in a suspecting tone. When the prince glanced at her, he saw her raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

"I…I thought it was very likely, but I wasn't sure," he admitted sheepishly.

Astrid nodded slowly, still smiling but he could see the mirth fade away from her features. "I know that we're here because you want more information about Briral's plan–"

"No, I actually don't," Hiccup cut her off.

She looked taken aback and her mouth fell slightly open. "You don't?"

"No– yes– I don't know."

"You do know," she insisted. She stared into Hiccup's eyes as though the next words he was going to speak contained a hidden clue that she just needed to catch.

Hiccup stared back, trying to collect his thoughts, but all he could focus on was Astrid's big, beautiful eyes and how he felt they bored into his very soul. He had to look away so that his thoughts could return to his brain. "I– I don't want you to betray your kingdom for me, that's why I'm not expecting anything. And you've already told me that they don't share the details with you because they don't think you'd be interested. I didn't come here to get information," he said truthfully.

He had told Fishlegs that getting more details about Briral's plans was his primary motive to see Astrid this close to the battle, but deep down he had known it wasn't true. She had already done so much for him and Berk by informing him about the attack, how could he ask for more?

"Why are you here then?" she asked, trying to make eye contact with the prince.

"What?"

"You knew the dragon wouldn't be here, and the battle is upon you very soon, so it'd be wiser for you to be in Berk. Your kingdom needs you very much now, so why are you here?"

"I…uhm…I wanted to see you?" Hiccup made it sound more like a question rather than an answer.

He could always count on himself to make an absolute fool of himself.

The prince didn't know what he was expecting, but he clearly wasn't expecting Astrid to look so relieved at his words. The stiffness that had hardened her features was slowly disappearing and her face was lit up by a smile that reached her eyes. "I wanted to see you, too."

"You– you did?" he asked in disbelief, but he could feel the corners of his lips lift up too, and he felt his chest tighten. What was this girl doing to him?

"Yes," she said. For a moment it looked as though she wanted to say something else, for she kept closing and opening her mouth, but in the end she remained silent.

They stood there in perfect silence for a while, just looking at each other. Hiccup wanted to say something, but words got stuck in his throat and the moment just seemed too fragile to be broken by words that weren't carefully chosen. It did seem like Astrid was feeling the same, for she wasn't saying anything either.

The prince realised just how close they were to one another. He quickly glanced down and noticed their hands were just inches apart, and he suddenly became way too aware of the small gap between them. His heart skipped a beat, then it began racing and tried to break through his ribcage. He could only hope Astrid didn't hear it.

The moment was broken by their dragons who had started making loud noises again as they communicated. Both Hiccup and Astrid were snapped out of their trance and it was only then that Hiccup realised he had been leaning forward subconsciously, for he had to correct his posture. Astrid did the same, and the distance between them was now slightly bigger.

"Well," Astrid said, sounding flustered. "It's great that we like each other's company, peace-making is going to be a lot easier that way, don't you think?"

"I suppose so…" Hiccup said and he hated how uncertain his voice sounded like, but all his attention was drawn to his heart that was still trying to kill him, and the fact how he felt strangely irritated about the moment being ruined like that. "That sounded a lot like something that Fishlegs would say."

"Who's Fishlegs?" Astrid asked curiously. Her voice was slightly high-pitched, which Hiccup found odd.

"My friend. He helped you escape from Berk."

"The one who came to my cell to mock me?" she asked sharply. She didn't seem to like the idea that Hiccup's friend had the audacity to treat her like that.

"No, that was Sir Fairfax for you," Hiccup said and felt a sting of guilt at the thought of the knight. "I meant the other one."

It took a moment for Astrid to go through the events of that night. Although it was dark, the prince could still see the realisation draw on her face. "You're friends with your servant?!" she asked in shock.

"That's correct. Aren't you?"

"No, why would I be? I mean, she's my servant, I'm not sure I even know her name…how on earth does your father allow it?"

"That's on top of the list of things that happen behind my father's back. He doesn't know about it. If he did, he wouldn't let Fishlegs work as my servant because obviously it would be his fault and not mine," Hiccup explained and made a face to show how much he disliked that mentality.

"And how did you become friends? What made you think, 'hey, I'm going to start talking to my servant like his position isn't 50 levels below mine'?"

"I stopped caring about the statuses. It's hard to not start feeling grateful for somebody's existence when you realise that without them you couldn't even put on a sock because they always do it for you. I treated him badly for years, but then I realised how wrong it was. The titles don't mean anything, most people don't even deserve the titles they've been granted because they are worth much more or less. Isn't that something you also told me when we met in the dungeons?"

Astrid listened to every single word attentively and she looked genuinely impressed and interested. She hadn't clearly expected Hiccup to remember the smallest of details of their first conversation when the princess was held captive in Berk. She considered his words carefully, and the prince just stood there, studying her face for any possible changes, but there was none.

"I didn't have any clue you saw it like that," Astrid finally said. "The way you spoke about your servant – Fishlegs, wasn't it? – I never saw it that way. Now I feel bad for not knowing my servant's name. And now that I think about it, I think you're right; just because we were lucky to be born into a wealthy family doesn't mean we should treat those of lower statuses much differently," she continued.

"Exactly," Hiccup agreed with a nod. "Your subjects are what makes your kingdom great, so treating them as inferiors is just wrong. That's why I'll try to save as many of their lives as possible in this battle."

Astrid gave him a questioning look but waited for him to continue. Hiccup told her about his plan and how he had to act on it in secret because it was against Stoick's plans. He also said that he was sure his father would approve of his idea if the situation between them was different, but since there was still some bad air between them, the prince didn't even want to give voice to his plan around the king.

When Hiccup was finished, he silently waited for the princess' reaction. He didn't know why, but his mind was carving for Astrid's approval, he wanted her to like his plan.

The prince felt immense happiness when her lips curled into a satisfied smile. "That sounds great, Hiccup. I truly hope it will work out. What will you be doing during the battle, by the way? I always hear the knights of Briral curse you after each battle because you're too fast and skilful with Toothless. They never seem to stand a chance."

Hiccup felt awkward at the compliments, and he scratched the back of his neck and looked everywhere but at Astrid because he didn't know what else to do and his body just wanted to react somehow. He was used to hearing praise, but it felt so much different coming from the girl standing next to him, her eyes fixed on him in some sort of admiration.

"Err…I will be defending Berk from the sky with Toothless. That's what we always do. It's where we are at our strongest. I just hope Briralians will be in Berk after the sunset because we are unbeatable in the night sky."

"They will be there before the sunset," she said. Hiccup looked up at her in surprise. "Not much earlier though. Their planned departure was delayed by something."

"Then Berk will have enough time to get fully prepared. I suppose it'll be enough if we start moving the Berkians into the tunnels around midday."

Since they lived so far in the north, the sunset came very early during Autumn and Winter. There would be a maximum of four hours between midday and the moment the Briralians were at their front door. It would take them 12 hours to reach Berk, so they'd need to leave Briral…

"Hang on, you will be here when they're leaving," Hiccup said in sudden realisation. Astrid just nodded. "Don't you need to be present when the army leaves?"

"Yes, but I staged such a scene before I left the Great Hall this evening. I was pretending to be out of my right mind over something very ridiculous, and I told my father I wouldn't leave my chambers until the thing's got fixed."

"And that's it?"

"And that's it."

"May I ask what this 'something' was?"

Astrid seemed to hate the mere thought of the event, for she covered half of her face with her other hand and looked down. "The chair that I always sit on in the Great Hall has a splint of wood sticking out from the side, so I made sure to tangle the hem of my dress around it so that it would get ruined when I stand up. I was totally upset because of that as it's the dress that I wear all the time inside the castle, so I couldn't possibly show myself in another dress. It was something my father has no understanding of but it was enough for my mother to take it seriously and understand the severity of the situation, so it was a good excuse. Now they all think I'm crying in my chambers. Gods, I still can't believe I pulled that off."

"Yeah, me neither," Hiccup admitted with a ghost of smile creeping on his lips.

The princess suddenly let out a loud groan out of frustration and she looked up at the prince with an angry but painful look. "It's just so unfair that I can't do anything! I don't want people to think I am spending my nights crying over some damned dress, I want to fight beside my people! I have every right to defend my own kingdom, but I'm not even given the chance to do that. I am so useless."

"You're not useless," Hiccup was quick to protest. Why would she even think like that?

"Why does it feel like that then?" she said bitterly.

The prince didn't know how to reply, he had never been good at words of comfort, and something was telling him that Astrid didn't even want him to say anything because his words wouldn't make any difference to her situation. Hiccup felt a terrible pain in his chest for the princess, he so wished he could do something. Anything at all.

"Are you going to change those rules once you're in charge?" Hiccup asked instead.

"That'll be up for my future king to decide. You know how it is, princesses or queens don't have much power, our only purpose is to look pretty and produce an heir. That's why they always 'tie the knot' between princes and princesses so early – they're afraid that their daughter won't be treated respectfully without a powerful man by her side. The main reason why you've been practically engaged to Princess Arleigh for many years isn't because of the benefits that Berk will bring to the kingdom of Olissa. They wanted to secure their daughter's future, and your father just happened to find Olissa the ideal kingdom to become close allies with."

Why did she have to mention her? The mention of Arleigh's name always seemed to feel more painful when it came out of Astrid's mouth. The mere thought of that princess he hadn't even met yet made him feel sick to his stomach – not because of her, but because of how much he suddenly didn't want anything to do with her. How was he already disliking a person whose name was the only thing he knew about her? It didn't make any sense.

"But that's where you're different, Hiccup," Astrid continued. When the prince looked up, he saw an admiring gleam in her eyes. "You never treated me like I were worth less than a man. In the woods, you didn't tell me to back off because I was a girl. You've never seen me in a worse light because of that, and that makes you so different from any other royal I've ever met. When I'm with you, I don't feel belittled. We're equals."

Hiccup felt that strange feeling that made his chest tighten in a pleasant way. Astrid surely knew how to take him on a rollercoaster of emotions – he didn't think he had ever felt so many things in such a short time span before.

He didn't have time to react to Astrid's words of praise before the princess made her next move. She took one step towards Hiccup, closing the distance between them and planted a quick kiss on his left cheek. The prince inhaled sharply out of mere surprise, and when Astrid backed away, he was looking her in the eyes that radiated uncertainty and nervousness.

Hiccup's mind was blank. It had just been a small peck on the cheek, but it felt so much more. He could still feel her lips where she had pressed them, and it felt as though all his nerves were now focused on that spot; it felt like small fireworks had set off next to his cheek and the explosions were now tickling his skin.

Did Astrid have feelings for him? Somehow the thought of that gave him a rush of excitement he had never felt before, like that kiss on the cheek wasn't enough and he wanted more.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," Astrid said in a rush. It was when Hiccup realised he hadn't reacted to the kiss yet. His mind was still busy figuring out his feelings and going over the inner monologue.

But if he wanted more, did that mean he had feelings for her, too? Why else would he want that?

If those strange emotions he had felt because of Astrid meant that he liked her more than as a friend, it all would make much more sense to him. The thought had been there, but he had been afraid to face it properly – although his mind was often consumed by it, he always just 'scratched the surface' of the thought because he hadn't allowed himself to dig any deeper.

But now, the fact that the princess who was looking uncomfortable in front of him, waiting for his reaction, might actually like him more than as a friend gave him a boost of courage and a sudden need to do something.

"I think I should get going, then. I'm so sorry about what I did, it was inappropriate," the princess said sadly, turned around and called for Stormfly with a similar whistle she did on the cliff earlier. "Good luck with–"

Astrid's sentence was cut off because of the sudden appearance of Hiccup's hand around her waist. He spun her around in a blur and pushed her back against the massive rock that was standing next to them. She looked bewildered and she stared Hiccup right into his eyes, her breaths heavier than usual.

The prince's heart was racing again. Their faces were so close that Hiccup could feel her breath brush against his skin. He could feel her breath on his lips, and his head was spinning. Time was standing still, or at least it felt like it. He closed his eyes for a couple of seconds and inhaled deeply before opening them and placing his hand behind Astrid's neck. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers.

Astrid let out a surprised noise, but within seconds she was kissing Hiccup back. She pressed herself against the prince so that there wasn't even half an inch between them and she put her hands behind Hiccup's neck.

Hiccup couldn't describe the feeling that kissing Astrid brought him. It was beyond any words, but he knew that it just felt so right, as though this was destined to happen. His mind was clear all of a sudden and he felt the foggy cloud fade away, letting him access his thoughts properly – everything made so much more sense to him now.

He felt the passion grow much stronger within him as their lips brushed against each other. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks and he placed his other hand around Astrid's waist, attempting to get her even closer although it was impossible.

Her mouth was warm and her lips felt so soft against his own. The small breaths that escaped from her mouth tickled the skin around his lips and it sent a thrilling sensation down his spine.

When they eventually broke apart to catch breath, Hiccup pressed his forehead against Astrid's and they just looked at each other, breathing heavily.

"That was…" she couldn't finish her sentence.

"I know," Hiccup agreed.

"You scared me for a moment there," Astrid said breathlessly. "When you didn't react at all, I thought you were mad at me."

"I was trying to collect my thoughts, there was a lot to think," he said apologetically. "I wasn't sure about how I felt until now."

"Really?" she asked in surprise, to which Hiccup just nodded.

They stood like that, their foreheads pressed against each other and Astrid leaning onto the rock, without saying anything to one another. They both wanted to devour in the moment, for when were aware of what would happen after they parted.

They both were destined for someone else. Now Hiccup realised why the mere mention of Princess Arleigh had been enough to ruin his mood – because of the agreement between the two kingdoms, there was no way he and Astrid could ever be together. It pained to think that, but it was inevitable.

Astrid seemed to be thinking along the same lines, for the smile that embellished her face was slowly fading and turning to a sad frown. Hiccup backed away one step without losing the eye contact with the princess.

"Is this the last time we see each other?" the princess asked in a whisper.

"Do you want that?" the prince asked as silently.

Astrid shook her head. "I mean, how will I ever find out if something happened to you in the battle if I don't see you again? It would kill me to not know."

Hiccup understood her. He didn't want to let go of their meetings either, although every single cell in his brain was telling him that continuing them wasn't wise. He had never been very good at listening to the voice of reason when it came down to things he wanted to do, was the thing.

"So, should we meet in three nights' time?" Hiccup suggested.

"Sounds good to me," she replied with a sigh of relief.

They were beginning to run out of time as they both still had a long journey ahead of them before they'd reach their own kingdoms. Neither of them had to call for their dragons, for Astrid had already done that earlier and they both were awaiting their humans close by.

When they were on their dragons, they allowed one more look at each other.

"Hiccup," Astrid began.

"Yea?"

"Please, stay alive," she said.

Hearing that made his insides turn cold. This could be the last time they see each other. Hiccup didn't want to think about that.

"I will try my best," he answered.

He truly meant his words. For the first time he felt like dying in a battle would be the most terrible fate ever. It would be unnecessary because the upcoming battle was unnecessary.

Soon after that, they left the clearing and the forest.  
Hiccup's heart was aching.

* * *

**EEHEHEHEHEEEEEEE I AM SCREAMING**  
**I have been dying to write this chapter ever since I knew this chapter was going to happen :D**

**Comments = I will love you and give you a crushing virtual hug (I love you even if you don't do it) **


	19. The Life of a Princess

**This chapter is from Astrid's POV!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Returning to Briral was always a great challenge for Astrid. She couldn't just fly in like the knights or any other men could, and she had to choose her route very carefully so she wouldn't be noticed by anyone else but Heather, her only friend in this god-forsaken kingdom.

What added more challenge to her mission was the stables. Just like she couldn't just fly in, she couldn't just walk in and leave Stormfly for some stable worker to take care of. She wasn't supposed to be out so early in the morning, let alone be with her dragon or in her flying armour that her mother had a very strong and negative opinion about. Being seen would only cause her trouble and the king would most likely lock her in her room until it was time for her to become Queen.

Astrid had seen the army on her way to Briral. She hadn't meant to fly so close to them, but she still wasn't very familiar with area that far away from their borders, so she hadn't known she had been about to cross the path that their army always took. Fortunately she had managed to hide herself before anybody could spot some movement on their right-hand side, so she was fairly positive that she had remained unseen. Even though she passed the army quite soon after that, she wanted to avoid the risk of being seen, so she retreated to the safety of the forest and continued her journey near the ground level.

And that was why it had taken her much longer to reach Briral and that was why she found it very difficult to sneak Stormfly back to the stables without anybody seeing her – the stables were crowded at this time of the morning. Astrid was sure that nobody had noticed the absence of Stormfly as most of their dragons were gone anyway, but that didn't mean there wasn't any work to do at the stables. In fact, if this time was anything like the previous ones, her father, King Eirik, had ordered them to work extra hard because the stables needed to be clean and safe for any wounded dragons to heal in.

However, her attempt to remain unseen was a lost cause, for the moment she was close to the stables, she was spotted by one of the stable workers whose name Astrid couldn't remember. She did recognise the face though, and a clear confusion was written all over it.

"My Lady?" he began unsurely. "Is everything alright?"

Astrid faked a smile as she walked towards him. "Everything is perfectly fine, thank you."

"Why are you with your dragon? It's not your flying day."

"It is," she said, using that calm tone her mother had so persistently taught her along the years. The calmness didn't reflect the emotions swelling within her however – she was feeling everything but calm.

"Did the king really–"

"Why don't you go and ask the king yourself? He will be very happy to hear you doubt her daughter," Astrid snapped and came to a halt next to the large, muscular man that was at least three inches taller than her.

She knew she was playing with fire. If the man next to her decided to go see the king about the matter, she would be in a lot of trouble. She would no doubt be banned from ever flying Stormfly again, and she could no longer go anywhere without at least one guard accompanying her.

To her luck, the man seemed to have realised that Eirik wouldn't be happy to hear that a common stable worker was questioning the princess' words, so he just simply nodded and bowed ever so slightly when Astrid walked past him with Stormfly. The man rushed to open the doors for her and she was greeted by a very busy sight. Everyone was working frantically and nobody took a second glance at the princess, which she was very pleased about. Astrid quickly put Stormfly in her stall and took the saddle off. She had become so used to doing it after so many sneak-outs over the years that taking it off took no time at all. She left it on the wooden saddle stand that was situated in front of her dragon's stall so that her servant could take care of it later.

After a rushed good-bye to Stormfly, she speeded out of the stables and ran across the kingdom grounds, trying to avoid the Briralians that were roaming on the streets. She took a very long route to reach the castle, and after what felt forever she was finally by the small window to her chambers. That window was facing the back of the kingdom, a part rarely anybody used or visited. It had proved to be Astrid's only way to get out of her chambers without someone noticing, for her door was always guarded and meanwhile they never said anything when she passed them, she was sure they'd report it back to her father.

She really could trust nobody in her own kingdom.

She had found a big, strong rope a couple years ago that she had tied to a stone pillar that was close to the window and now it was hanging outside of it, granting her an entrance to her room. Since her chambers were on the second floor, the distance between the ground and the window wasn't huge so she could climb without any difficulties, thanks to the bricks that had been unevenly laid on the castle wall, providing small steps for her.

Once she was on the window level, she placed her hands on the windowsill and pushed herself up. She sat on the sill and swung her legs to the other side, scanning the surrounding kingdom grounds for any possible eye-witnesses. With a jump, she entered her chambers fully and was instantly greeted by her servant who was watching her with a bored expression. Astrid quickly pulled the rope inside and closed the window, after which she turned around to face the girl that was holding her breakfast tray.

"Hi," the princess said simply and walked towards her servant.

"Hi," the servant responded. Her voice had a similar colour as her facial expression, which wasn't unusual behaviour from her. "Had fun?"

That made Astrid smile immensely. The girl had no idea how wonderful last night had been. Just thinking about it made the princess feel indescribable warmth within her "More than fun, but I will save you from the details, I don't suppose it's a very thrilling tale when it's experienced through words."

"If you say so," she responded, failing to hide the slight disappointment in her voice. "I'll put your breakfast on the table over there," she continued and walked to the small bedside table and placed the tray on it.

"Thank you," Astrid said.

Her servant helped her take the flight suit off. They were silent as always; the chamber was only filled with the sounds of the metal pieces of the armour as they clashed together or touched the wooden bench that the girl was placing the pieces on.

Astrid never shared anything private with her servant because she had always seen her as someone of lower value. That made her think back to the conversation she had had with Hiccup in the woods, and the sting of envy she had felt – he was so brave for going against his father like that. Hiccup and Fishlegs must have gotten really good at hiding their friendship if it had remained a secret all those years.

The thought of Fishlegs' name reminded her of something.

"Hi!" she blurted out as if it was the first time she saw her servant today.

The girl stopped untying the wrappings around the princess' arms and looked up at her slowly. "Hi?" she said in a confused voice.

"I've just realised something. I haven't caught your name," Astrid explained and watched the confusion draw deeper into the girl's features.

There was a pause before she answered. "Ruffnut. My name's Ruffnut Thorston."

"Ruffnut," Astrid repeated and Ruffnut nodded. The princess repeated the name a couple more times under her breath before she rushed towards her drawers.

"Uhm…My Lady, what are you doing?" Ruffnut asked alarmed.

"I need to write it down so that I won't ever forget it," the princess said and rummaged through the drawers. The half-untied leather wrappings on her arms kept on getting in the way and she had to constantly swat her arm to the side to move them out of the way.

She finally found a small piece of parchment and an ink bottle. She quickly dipped the quill into the ink and spelt her name down. She startled when she heard a cough behind her.

"It's R-U-F-F, not rough, My Lady" her servant corrected over her shoulder.

"Oh!" Astrid crossed out the name and wrote it down with the correct spelling. "There, now I shall never forget it."

"Great…" Ruffnut responded, still clearly unsure how she was supposed to react.

They got back to taking off the flying suit. The princess kept on asking all sorts of questions from Ruffnut that were mostly related to her family. Astrid soon found out that she had a twin brother who was working at the tavern in the village. She also found out that their family was very poor and the princess didn't know how to respond to that. Nobody had ever straight up told her about their poverty, but then again this was the first time anybody had a chance to do so.

"Is there anyone special in your life?" the princess asked suggestively, expecting to earn an embarrassed smile from Ruffnut.

However, her expression remained blank and it didn't seem like Astrid's question arose any joy within her. "No," she only said.

"Well, have you ever liked someone more than you probably should?" Astrid asked, impressed by how casual she managed to sound. "Like, you noticed that you feel something that's not supposed to be there and you can't just ignore it."

She was aware that she probably shouldn't have brought the conversation so close to her own situation, but she was desperate to find someone who was going through something similar, to find out she wasn't the only one whose heart wanted something it shouldn't.

"Nope," Ruffnut said. "Never."

"Really? You haven't found anyone in Briral?" the princess asked in surprise, slightly disappointed.

"I'm working all the time, My Lady, I don't have time to get to know anyone," she replied, but it didn't sound as though she was very upset by it.

"You can have the rest of the day to yourself," Astrid said in a heartbeat.

Ruffnut raised her head in fast motion and stared at the princess suspiciously. It looked like she was checking whether she was being tricked. Not that Astrid could blame her – it must have felt weird to be suddenly so acknowledged by the princess when she never paid much attention to her before. It was incredible how a simple conversation with Hiccup had made her realise how many things in her life she took for granted. And now she wanted to change that, no matter how little her opinion would be valued when she was Queen – at least she would be remembered as a good royal.

"I'm serious," Astrid assured. "You need to have a life outside of your work, too."

It took a moment for Ruffnut to decide that she wasn't being tricked or tested after that, but then she nodded eagerly and mumbled out a 'thank you' which still had a very unsure tone to it.

After Astrid was out of the flying suit, Ruffnut helped her get into one of the many dresses that she possessed. She ever really used one, but since she purposefully broke it last night, it would be at least three more days until the tailor could fix it. Apparently the damage was severe, but the princess couldn't bring herself to feel bad or regretful. It was all worth it, and she'd wear her least favourite dress every single day for the rest of her life if that meant she'd have several more rounds of the previous night.

As Ruffnut worked on Astrid's hairdo, the princess let her mind travel back to last night. She couldn't have been happier about the fact that she had found the courage to kiss Hiccup – even though it was just on the cheek. She had thought it was going to be the last time they ever saw each other, so she had to do _something_. It wasn't like she had anything to lose anyway.

But when Hiccup pushed her against that rock and kissed her on the mouth? Gods, it was everything she had ever imagined her first proper kiss to be and a bit more.

She kept on replaying the moment in her head, devouring the memory of how his lips had felt against hers, how his hands felt like behind her neck and around her waist, how he smelled like… She never thought she'd get to feel something like this for somebody and she had always felt very bitter about it, as she would've very much loved to choose her own husband when the time came. If only their kingdoms weren't at war with each other and there actually was a chance for them to be together…

Why did life have to be so unfair? Why weren't they born into some non-royal family where the rules weren't as strict? Why did it have to be Berk that Briral hated so?

"You're ready to go, My Lady," Ruffnut said and snapped Astrid out of her thoughts. "Do you want to eat your breakfast or should I take the tray as I leave?"

The princess gave the untouched breakfast a side glance before she shook her head. "You can take it with you, thank you. Remember that you're free to do whatever you want for the rest of the day," she said as she walked towards the door that led out of her chambers.

She left the door wide open so that it'd be easier for Ruffnut to get out with the breakfast tray in her hands. She gave the guards by the door a quick command to lock it once her servant was out, to which she earned two silent nods.

As she walked in the corridors to the Study Room where she would meet her mother, Queen Gunilla, she took several deep breaths to clear her mind and be prepared for whatever lesson was waiting for her. Astrid knew that learning everything her mother taught her was important, but she couldn't for the life of her imagine herself teaching her children how to behave like a soulless being.

When she entered the Study Room, Gunilla was already waiting for her, sitting on an expensive-looking – rightfully so – armchair, reading a book. Astrid was standing several feet from the queen, but she could tell that her mother wasn't really paying attention to the words, for she didn't look concentrated.

"Good morning, darling," Gunilla said without raising her head from the book. "Did you sleep well?"

The word 'yes' nearly left her mouth before Astrid remembered the scenario she caused during the dinner and stopped herself. What she did instead was shake her head no and look sad. "Not really, I couldn't stop thinking about my dress. I do hope it will be repaired soon."

"That will not be an issue, I can send it to the tailor right away," the queen responded and snapped her fingers, her eyes still on the book. The maid in the corner rushed out of the room, knowing exactly what she had to do. "I already had that chair removed and it shall be replaced this evening the latest."

"Great. So, what's today's lesson?"

"Just grab a book you like and read, my love. You seemed rather upset last evening, I don't think it is any use teaching you something when you might still be out of your right mind."

Sure, she was out of her right mind, but not because of the dress. It was literally the last thing on her mind, but she would never tell her mother that. Now, she was just happy to not be lectured on how to be a proper queen. After the restless night she was grateful to have something less mind-consuming to do, because that also gave her a chance to think about pretty much everything that had happened in the past few weeks.

She walked up to the large bookshelf that covered the entire wall, from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. She pretended to be reading the titles of the books to make her choice seem like a well thought-out pick, but in the end she grabbed a random book that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a novel.

Astrid sat on the armchair opposite to Gunilla's and they let a silence fall between them. The princess opened the book at a random page, read a couple sentences from here and there, stayed on that page for a few minutes before turning to the next page.

Her mind wandered back to the day she had decided that she wanted to end the grudge between Briral and Berk. It was when most of their own came back from a battle wounded, some had been in a very fatal state. Something had gone terribly wrong in the attack which had caused them to suffer their greatest yet defeat, and Astrid didn't want to see a day like that during her time of reign.

That had been half a year ago, and ever since that she had fantasized about different ways of coming around that peace. In her dreams, she was ruling Briral on her own, walking to Berk and confronting the king about her proposal for peace. The other version of this dream had the king laughing at her, thinking she was joking, which was when she always proved how much better off their kingdoms would be without the war – she wasn't sure how she would do that, this part had always been blur to her – and then the king agreed to making peace. The second version of the dream, the one she most often fantasized about, had the king instantly agree as he also thought that the animosity had gotten out of hand. Sometimes Astrid just dreamt of the peace coming around naturally, that one day their kingdoms would just stop caring about their pride and stopped sending their people off to die.

None of her dreams ever involved a part where she developed such strong feelings for the future king of Berk. Neither had she ever dreamt of committing treason and being happy to do so on top of that. It was like the gods had made sure the reality would stray from her fantasies as much as possible.

Although being separated from Stormfly for such a long time when she was in Berk did feel terrible, she realised she was happy it happened. Otherwise she'd never had the chance to get to know Hiccup and how wonderful a person he was. After Astrid got to know him better, she became more and more persistent to make peace between their kingdoms, and when the prince finally told her he wanted the same thing, she had been ecstatic. She still was.

Suddenly Astrid got the urge to break the silence between her and her mother. "What do you think about the hate between Briral and Berk?"

Even though the queen had been sitting quite still, the princess could still see her entire being pause. Gunilla finally tore her eyes off the book and looked up at her daughter. She looked taken aback and this time she didn't care to hide away the emotions on her face.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned, lowering the book and placing it on her lap.

Astrid shrugged. "No reason, I'm just curious. We never talk about it, is all."

And that was true. It was one of the topics they never brought up when it was just the two of them, Gunilla didn't for whatever reason and Astrid didn't because she was quite sure her mother didn't want to talk about it.

The queen didn't answer for a while, but when she did, Astrid was disappointed; "I trust the king's judgement."

"Oh come on, you must have an opinion. You must feel something about the fact that our knights are out there, on their way to die for us."

"It is their responsibility to the kingdom to do so. They have every right to leave Briral if they don't wish to fight," her mother responded. She had finally got herself together and she was once again speaking in that graceful, emotionless voice she always used when the discussion was about something that mattered.

"But at what cost? They must leave and never return, and they will have no other kingdom to go to because nobody wants a fled knight under their wing. They have no other option but to stay, because the life out there is much more dangerous than it is in Briral, but that doesn't mean they want to fight for their lives."

"Your father knows perfectly well what he's doing, and I do hope you will never bring your thoughts up in his presence. Voicing them around me is already you showing disrespect to the kingdom your father has built for your future."

"But–"

"Astrid," she said in that intimidating voice of hers that she only reserved for her daughter in situations like this. The princess had learnt to avoid bringing their conversations to the point where her mother felt the need to use that voice, but this topic was something Astrid truly cared about.

However, she knew a lost case when she saw one, so she sighed in defeat, nodded and fixed her eyes back on the pages of the book. Gunilla did the same, and they continued their study session in complete silence.

* * *

The army came back late the following day. As always, Astrid was expected to greet them with her parents, so she stood on the massive stone steps that led to the courtyard, waiting for the knights to show up. King Eirik hadn't joined the battle as usual, so he was rather eager to hear the news from his most-trusted knights. However, this was something that they always discussed in private, so neither the princess nor the queen ever heard what happened in the battles.

This didn't mean Astrid wasn't going to listen. She wanted to know if any harm had come to Hiccup. When the king and a few knights retreated to the safety of the castle walls, she made sure to note where they were heading. Judging by the direction they took once inside the castle, it looked like they were going towards the Throne Room – precisely where the princess expected them to have the conversation at.

She followed them, looking around to make sure nobody saw her. She stayed far enough from her father so that he, or one of the knights, wouldn't somehow sense her presence.

The knights began talking when they were still very far from the Throne Room, which took Astrid by surprise.

"They indeed put up a good fight, Your Highness. I must say I wasn't expecting them to have changed their way of defending the kingdom."

"How did they change it?" Eirik asked.

"They were focusing a lot more on their people, we didn't see a single common Berkian while we were there."

Astrid couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her lips. That could only mean that Hiccup's plan had worked, and she suddenly felt pride swelling up inside her. She knew he would succeed.

"That's interesting, I didn't think their rotten minds were capable of change. We need to discuss this in-depth later. Anything else?"

"Oh yes, Your Highness, the best part is yet to come," the other knight responded eagerly.

The excitement in his voice couldn't mean anything good, and the realisation of that made Astrid's insides turn upside down.

The king came to a halt, instantly followed by the knights, and Astrid had to hide behind a sturdy stone pillar next to her so that they wouldn't spot her.

"What is it?"

"Your plan was successful. One of us got him, and we left Berk with an arrow sticking right through his chest."

A triumphant laughter filled the corridor. Astrid forgot how to breathe. Her heart skipped beats after beat. She felt weak by the knees and she wanted to collapse to the floor. She felt a burning sensation behind her eyes.

Were they taking about Hiccup?  
Was he dead or alive?

* * *

**Aaaaaaaaaa!**  
**I don't know what else to say about the end of this chapter XD**

**I hope you don't mind the POV switch. I thought it was necessary to get a glimpse of Astrid's life too (no, the change definitely didn't happen because it left me with a great opportunity for a cliffhanger, absolutely not).**

**Please let me hear your thoughts on this chapter :D the response to the previous chapter was mindblowing, I nearly cried lol so THANK YOU ALL I LOVE YOU.**


	20. Holding Breath

**I don't understand how the chapters that I'm expecting to be around 3k long turn out to be the monster ones? XD But yeah, here have the yet longest chapter of this story!**

**Astrid's POV continues huhuhuhu**

* * *

Time was going backwards, Astrid was sure of that. Never in her life had time felt as agonizing and soul-ripping as it did now, and it was hard for her to just sit still and act as though nothing was wrong. She was expected to be celebrating the fact that their plan had been a success, and she had to walk up to the knights and offer them her gratitude for doing such a great deed for the kingdom. When she had been standing there, all she could feel was disgust and an almost unbeatable urge to spit at the knights' feet. Injuring and killing someone wasn't something she wanted to give her gratitude for. Doing so felt as though she had been the one to shoot the arrow, as she was showing everyone her approval of the action. It was true she had been forced to do it, but it didn't make her feel any better. The opposite, really.

How could she act like everything was normal, when every part of her being was stressed the heck out and screaming for answers? She had never before been so frustrated with the fact that she and her mother were kept completely in the dark about things the king didn't think interested them, and when Astrid had clearly shown interest in what had happened in the battle, all she had received was a disapproving glare from her father because she wasn't _supposed_ to be interested.

So she still didn't know. For one day she had been living with the knowledge that someone of high importance to Briral was shot in Berk, and not knowing who was slowly but surely killing her. She still didn't know if Hiccup was dead, and if he wasn't, was he badly injured or in perfect condition.

It all made her feel sick to her stomach and she wanted to throw up whenever she thought about it. It would still be at least a day until she might get some answers. The thought of her waiting for Hiccup on the cliff but never seeing him kept on haunting her at the back of her mind. If that happened, it would only mean one thing that Astrid didn't dare to think about even though her brain was clearly disagreeing with her.

* * *

As Heather was the only person in Briral that she could tell everything to, she excused herself from the dinner with her parents half an hour earlier so that she'd have some time to go talk to her. She still hadn't had time to do that since she came back from seeing Hiccup the other night, so there was a lot to tell.

Astrid knew where to look for her friend at this time of the day. She would still be working at her father's workshop where they made the swords and other equipment for the king and the noblest knights of Briral using the best materials they could find within the kingdom. Heather's father was called 'the proper blacksmith' as he had been granted a position in the castle and he was the one who created armour pieces and such for the most important Briralians. Astrid used to call him that, too, but after promising herself to start treating her people more equally no matter their statuses, she had made herself a mental note to start addressing him by the name 'royal blacksmith' or something else that didn't spit on the other blacksmith whose customers were the rest of the kingdom.

The workshop was on the first floor with full access to the courtyard. There were piles of metal and other tools Astrid didn't know the name or use of piled up by the entrance that was shut with a white curtain that had many holes in it. Before Astrid entered, she could hear the steady sounds of a hammer hitting against anvil which meant that Heather's father was also working, as he was the only one who was allowed to shape the metal with the anvil.

The second the princess was inside, Heather noticed her. She was standing by a wooden table, working on something on a piece of parchment. There was a bit of dirt on her other cheek and the brown apron she was wearing was slightly blackened by iron. Her braid had probably looked good in the morning, but now it had at least a hundred strands of hair sticking out of it. This, however, was a very usual sight of Heather, so Astrid didn't even bat an eye when their gazes met.

When Heather's face broke into a smile but Astrid's didn't follow suit, her friend's smile quickly altered into a frown and she abandoned her work station. She muttered something that sounded very much like 'I will be back soon' to her father before they exited the workshop.

"What's up?" she asked when the curtain fell back to its place and hid them from her father's view. "Did you break your axe?"

Astrid shook her head. "Did you hear about our attack on Berk?"

"I've heard bits and pieces, but nothing that should leave you looking like this," Heather said in thought. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid they shoot him," the princess told, hoping that her friend would understand her without the mention of Hiccup's name.

"You mean Hic–"

"Shh!" Astrid shushed and looked around them to see if anybody was around to hear them. She then turned to look at Heather again. "Yes, him, but don't say his name!"

Heather lowered her voice to a whisper. "Why do you think that?"

Astrid told her everything that had happened that night and what she had heard yesterday, and Heather listened eyes wide, holding her breath. She clearly wasn't expecting something like that to happen between the two royals, because Heather never believed Hiccup to have it in him to change his mind so drastically.

But she didn't know Hiccup at all. Of course the Briralians that hadn't got the slightest clue about Hiccup would think that he was a heartless and bloodthirsty prince. Astrid knew that he was everything but. He was a wonderful person that only wanted best for Berk and people he cared about. Just as she had told him, he was nothing like the other royals Astrid had met in her life. While others cared a lot about their status and used it as their excuse to not talk to those below them, Hiccup didn't see it that way and Astrid admired him for that.

"That's…that's huge," Heather commented once the princess was done telling her everything that had happened. "How do you feel? Knowing that he likes you too, I mean."

"I…don't know," Astrid answered truthfully. "When I think about it, I get this warm feeling in my chest, but then I remind myself that nothing can ever come out of it and I feel like my insides have been struck with solid ice."

Her friend nodded slowly as she put her hand in a loose fist and placed it under her own chin, thinking on Astrid's words. "Are you entirely sure you can't ever be together?" she then asked.

"Absolutely," Astrid responded, not understanding why this wasn't obvious to Heather. "He is practically betrothed to the princess of Olissia already."

"But you said practically, so it's not official yet?"

"No, but if he's to back away from that marriage, it will only mean trouble for Berk. He's not the type to think about his own benefits, he would do anything to keep his kingdom safe."

"If I were you, I wouldn't lose my hope yet, though. Many things can happen before it's time for him to tie the knot," Heather said with a reassuring smile.

"We don't even know if he's alive. What if he really is dead? Maybe I should go to Berk to make sure, it would only take a day. I know it's in the east, so it shouldn't be that hard to find."

"Only a day? Another unannounced trip to Berk?" Heather repeated as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Astrid just nodded. "Are you even listening to yourself, girl? How are you going to explain yourself when you return home? I don't think the king is going to swallow yet another one of your 'I got lost' excuses. You're seeing him very soon anyway, you'd not get answers any faster."

"But I feel like I have to do something, and that feeling is eating at me. I hate having to wait when there's another option that I can choose. He…he means more to me than I care to admit."

She had realised that instantly when the possibility of him being dead was dropped on her like a bomb. In such a short amount of time, Hiccup had become one of the dearest people in her life. When she thought about it, she had noted how much she had revealed about herself to him – something she never did unless she trusted the person with all she had. Whenever she talked to Hiccup, she felt that little glimpse of hope in her chest. A hope that made her feel so much better about the future. She didn't want to lose that hope.

Heather sighed, not in the 'I am tired of this' sort of way, but in a way that radiated sadness. Maybe it came from the expression she was wearing as she did it. "Let's be realistic here, what can you do? No matter what is going on between you and Hiccup, you're still not welcome in Berk. I don't think the king of Berk will give you another chance to escape if he gets you in his hands. You know the poor excuse of a leader that he is, you can't expect a merciful action from him."

"Just as we cannot expect one from my father, too. They do it because they've been living all their lives learning to hate each other and there never was anybody to talk sense to them. They're both poor excuses of a leader, and both are as bloodthirsty as the other. It's like they've been sculpted in the same mould. Gods know what would've happened if me and Hiccup had never met as he wasn't so willing to shake hands for peace as I was, so a couple years more would've definitely made it harder to convince him."

Her friend stared at her with her lips slightly parted and eyes wide. She hadn't expected Astrid to be against her father as she rarely ever did it. However, the princess felt she had had enough of Eirik's nonsense; having to thank their knights for possibly killing Hiccup was a step too far for her and she somehow wanted to show that she didn't agree with her father. She knew she couldn't do much, but this could act as a start.

"I guess you're right," Astrid continued when Heather couldn't get a word out of her mouth. "I hate to admit it, but you're right. I just wish there was a way for me to do something that would make this easier. What if he's dead?" She said the last bit in slight panic, well aware of the fact that thinking about such things was only making it worse for herself.

"Let's think about that once we know who is dead and who isn't. You'll have some answers very soon, just…please, listen to the voice of reason in your head and be patient. Do you want to help me in the workshop in the meantime so you'll have something else to think about?" Heather beckoned the curtains behind them with her head.

Astrid glanced at them quickly before smiling genuinely at her only friend. She didn't know how Heather managed to make everything seem so simple and clear that even Astrid forgot for a second what she was worrying about so much. "Thank you," she said gratefully. This time it came from the bottom of her heart.

"You're joining me in the workshop?" Heather asked surprised.

"Oh, no! I meant thank you for being a wonderful friend," Astrid blurted out. Then she realised that her response might've sounded rude so she rushed to add; "I mean, I'd love to join but it's getting late and I need to be in my chambers in a moment, besides I don't know what to do and I'd just make everything too complicated and–"

Heather laughed and put up a finger to silence the princess. "I get it, you don't need to explain yourself. Go get your beauty sleep, you need it," she said and winked. "It will all turn out well in the end, I know it."

"How?"

"Because I am sure that Hiccup and your journey isn't destined to end here. You two sound like the king and queen that we only hear about in legends."

Astrid snorted unprettily before she could stop herself. "We are not."

"You're just blind to it," Heather replied cheerfully, clearly happy that she had succeeded in making her friend forget the gloomy thoughts for a while. She patted Astrid on the shoulder and wished her a good night before disappearing behind the curtain where her father was still working with the hammer and the anvil.

It was moments like this when Astrid couldn't believe how lucky she was to have a friend like Heather. The fear was still present, but she could also see a little ray of hope at the end of the tunnel, all thanks to her friend.

* * *

If time wasn't going by slowly the day before, it was certainly doing that today. An entire week could've fit in between the breakfast and the dinner after which Astrid had her first opportunity to leave.

It was hard to act calm and be focused when her mind was filled with possible outcomes of tonight and how she would react to them. It didn't help that her father was still in such high spirits. It would've been a good thing if the reason behind his happiness was anything but what it was. Astrid couldn't believe how someone's death rejoiced him, no matter how much of an archenemy that person was to him.

Had he always been like that and Astrid was only now opening her eyes to it? Or was it a new occurrence? Either way, it was making her furious. She didn't want to be against her father, but his thirst for power and blood was revolting.

She had seen Heather quickly in the afternoon when she was coming back from her daily walk around the Royal Garden. They had exchanged a couple words and Heather had promised she would get Stormfly ready so that nobody would see Astrid in the stables. The fake news about the change of the princess' flying day had most likely spread around the stables, and seeing her back, preparing her dragon for flying just a few days after the previous time would surely raise suspicion and reach the king's ears. When it was Stormfly at stake, Astrid didn't want to take risks even though she had a desire to rebel against her father. She couldn't afford to lose her precious flying sessions that took place in the daytime when she could actually see something.

The dinner took the longest to be finished. Astrid was sure her father was drawing out his dull conversations about paper work and other matters the princess didn't want to hear about. Even her mother was only nodding and smiling and humming in approval but, then again, she was always doing that because she didn't want to question the king. Sometimes, when Astrid truly paid attention to Gunilla, she could see when her mother disagreed with Eirik but decided to not mention it. Tonight, however, the only thing the princess was paying attention to were her nerves and the barely touched food on the silver plate. She didn't have appetite. She occasionally listened to what her father was saying in case he said her name, but otherwise she didn't have the slightest clue what was coming out of his mouth.

When the dinner was finally over, Astrid exited the Great Hall as fast as she was allowed to. The last thing she wanted was a lecture from her mother about how she was expected to walk, because apparently there was the wrong way of doing that too. The only thing Gunilla had never probably commented on was Astrid's way of breathing, but she was sure that would also come into picture eventually.

Once the wooden doors to her chambers were securely shut, she was met by Ruffnut who was already waiting for her. She would assist her in taking off the dress as there were many strings that needed untying and it would be faster that way. The sooner she was out, the better for her sanity.

"You seem a bit tense, My Lady," Ruffnut commented as she was midway through untying the strings on Astrid's back.

"Do I?" the princess asked nervously. Was she being that obvious?

"At least you're making it very difficult to untie these as you're not standing still," Ruffnut explained, sounding a bit frustrated.

Astrid mumbled an apology under her breath and focused on standing still as a stone the rest of the time. After that, it only took a couple minutes to get the dress off, after which Ruffnut helped her into her night gown.

"Is there anything else you–"

"No thank you, you're dismissed," Astrid said hurriedly, cutting her servant's speech off.

Ruffnut stared at her dumbfounded, but she just nodded, curtsied slightly and exited the chambers. Astrid counted to 30 in case her servant would come back to retrieve something she forgot, but when she didn't show up anymore, she literally tore the gown off her and rushed to the cabinet with her flying suit in it. She held the key ring with numerous different keys in her shaking hands as she tried to find the one for the cabinet. When that was open, she took the armour pieces as silently as possible and placed them on her bed, one by one, making sure that the metal pieces didn't touch one another.

The process was slow but necessary. She couldn't just start making noises when she was supposed to be sleeping. Otherwise the guards behind her door would hurry in thinking she was being kidnapped or something.

It took her a short while to get the suit on. She was so used to doing it alone that she had no problems with it, and she had gotten very quick and good at it along the years. She had learned exactly the right way to put on the armour without making any noise, and it was because that why she had never been caught.

She slowly opened the small window to the backyard, scanned the grounds for any movement and then dropped the other end of the rope over the windowsill and climbed down. She didn't have to search for Heather and Stormfly for long, for they had agreed to meet behind the castle as it was the place they were least likely to encounter anybody else. The two were already waiting for her on the agreed spot.

"Thank you so much for helping me out again," Astrid whispered once she was close enough to be heard. "You're the best."

"Anything for my dear friend," Heather said and stepped aside so that Astrid could hop on Stormfly. "Good luck," she continued once the princess was securely on her dragon.

Astrid looked down. The familiar fear began to build up within her again. She took a deep breath before saying; "Thank you."

And with that, she soared up in the air with Stormfly, leaving Heather behind.

* * *

Astrid's heart was beating rapidly. She could feel how it was almost bouncing in her throat.

She was very, very close to the cliff where they'd meet. Now that she was close to it, she wasn't sure if she wanted to land. Although she had had several days to prepare herself for the worst outcome, she didn't feel prepared at all. She had no idea what she'd do if Hiccup didn't show up.

But land she did. Hiccup wasn't there yet, which made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. She kept on telling herself that he was always the one who arrived last because she was too willing to leave Briral as soon as possible. Last time had been the only exception.

So she waited. She sat on the damp grass and waited. She didn't care that her bottom got wet and she didn't care that the cold start-of-winter breeze made her freeze to the bone. Nothing but the sounds and the sky mattered to her. She was listening for flapping of wings, or anything that sounded like a dragon with a rider. She bore her eyes into the sky, hoping for a glimpse of something.

But everything she heard was the wind and Stormfly's occasional sounds, and everything she saw was pitch blackness and a few odd stars in the sky. There was no sign of any living thing apart from her and her dragon.

Astrid didn't know how much she had been waiting. It felt like it was hours, but in reality it probably wasn't. She wasn't sure when she would have to give up and go back home. Would she be sitting here until the crack of dawn just in hopes of Hiccup arriving? She would only torture herself if she did that.

She took a tuft of wet grass in her tight grasp and pulled it forcefully off the ground. Some soil came with it that dropped onto her skirt and pants, but she wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were still fixed on the sky.

He was never this late, so did this mean that her father's plan had been to murder the only heir to the throne of Berk? Astrid didn't want to accept it, she didn't want to start hating her father. But how could she not, if he was the only reason why one of the only people Astrid truly cared about was gone forever, out of her reach.

The princess felt indescribable pain in her chest, it felt as though someone was slowly tearing her heart open with a sharp dagger. It was hard to breathe as panic began to strike her. She bent her legs and pressed her head against her thighs. She could feel tears burning in her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but the tears were forcing themselves out and she soon felt a warm stream on both her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she heard a familiar voice behind her. She raised her head so fast she felt a slight pain in her neck but she couldn't care less about that. "I was delayed by–"

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out and stood up in a nanosecond.

She closed the distance between them just as fast and she wrapped her arms around Hiccup as tightly as she could. The relief of seeing the prince alive and standing was beyond anything Astrid had ever felt. She pressed herself hard against Hiccup's body, put her head on his chest and she could hear his heartbeat through his armour.

Gods, he really was alive.

Hiccup put his arms around Astrid and they stood there in each other's caress for a minute without saying anything. The princess felt how all those tears poured down her cheeks but she didn't care this time – she was so happy and relieved, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her heart and it was beating freely again.

"Oh, Hiccup!" Astrid repeated and pulled herself away a little so that she could see Hiccup's face. "I was so worried! I heard that one of my people had shot one of you but they wouldn't tell me who even though I asked and when you didn't show up I thought I had lost you and I was sure that–"

Hiccup shushed at her gently, a ghost of a smile creeping on his lips. "You didn't lose me," he said after Astrid was silent. He raised his other hand and with his thumb he wiped off the tears that had wet her cheeks.

"You have no idea how scared I was for you," the princess said and didn't wait for the prince's response before closing the distance between their lips.

The kiss was soft and tender, but it poured out all of their longing and emotions, and Astrid hoped Hiccup could feel how much she cared about him. She traced a lock of Hiccup's hair and placed it behind his ear, the other hand moving around his waist. She breathed in his scent. Then she focused on the way their lips moved in sync, and how she had missed the feel of Hiccup's mouth against hers. The memory of it wasn't nearly as perfect as the real thing. She wished they could stay like this forever.

They parted, panting slightly and looking at each other. Astrid couldn't get over how gorgeous the man looked, even when there was no light around them she could see just how beautiful he was. She remembered the moment she saw him in daylight for the first time when he had helped her return to Briral after the escape. She had had a faint idea of how the prince looked, but it had been nothing compared to what he truly looked like. Hiccup was mesmerising, she didn't know any other word to describe the entirety of him.

"I can't even begin to tell how relieved I am that it wasn't you who they shot. I don't know how I would've lived with myself," Astrid said in a whisper that was just loud enough for Hiccup to catch.

There was a change in Hiccup's expression. It turned from soft to hardened and pained. The smile was now gone it was replaced by a sad frown.

"I wish it had been me. It should've been me," Hiccup said resentfully. Astrid could hear the loathing in his voice and how much he meant those words.

They felt like needles pinched into her heart. "Why do you say that?" she asked and realised immediately how harsh she sounded. "Who was shot?" she added in a much more tender voice.

Hiccup didn't answer immediately. He tore away from the eye contact and looked at the ground on his right. "My father. He wanted to join the battle, and he was trying to protect me. I was on the ground, having a one on three fight and when I saw a glimpse of him, he was on his knees and–"

His voice failed him and he couldn't continue. He didn't need to, because Astrid knew the rest. The arrow had pierced Stoick's chest.

The princess wanted to say something but she couldn't find the words. Nothing seemed to convey how sorry she felt for Hiccup. Seeing the prince like that was unbearable – he should be smiling all the time. Such a sad look didn't suit him, and Astrid truly wished she knew how to fix it.

"Hiccup, I…I am so sorry. But there was nothing you could've done. You were fighting for you own life, you cannot be in two places at the same time. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."

Hiccup raised his head to lock his gaze with Astrid's. There was so much pain in his eyes. "But it was my fault," he said harshly.

"What are you talking about?" Astrid cried out disbelievingly.

He broke the eye contact again and began pacing around the cliff. When he spoke, his voice was filled with anger. "If I hadn't been so stupid to go through with my plan of saving the Berkians, this wouldn't have happened. The spot where my father was shot was missing two knights because they both were guarding the tunnels. What kind of an idiot takes away two men from the same spot in the battlefield, Astrid? I always do what I think is right but I always mess up. First I attempted to avoid war by only taking our dragons back from Briral, but I also took Stormfly and you were captured because you went after her, and we barely dodged another war. Then I wanted to avoid war by helping you escape, but then the entrance to the tunnel got broken and we had to lessen our defence in Berk so that we could guard the entrance. One of our knights got banished because I was trying to do the right thing. And now I saved the villagers but because of that my father got shot. If I hadn't meddled with the plan, nothing would've happened! I always screw everything up and I am so sick of it! How am I ever supposed to rule Berk with so many mistakes under my belt? Every time I feel like I am making progress, something like this happens and I am back to the starting point!"

"Hiccup, please," Astrid pleaded, her heart almost breaking for him. "Don't be so hard on yourself! You didn't take Stormfly, she went after you because she wasn't being herself! It was my decision to go after her, and it was my fault that I got captured, you've got nothing to do with that! And you saved all the innocent Berkians, isn't that an accomplishment to be proud of? You couldn't have stopped your father from being shot, because it was Briral's plan to take his life all along! If I had known that, I would've told you and you would have saved your father, but neither of us knew so we cannot blame ourselves for what happened. None of this proves you unfit to be the king!"

Hiccup had stopped pacing and he was now looking at Astrid. There was a long silence between them which the prince broke with a loud sigh. He ran his hand through his hair and then mumbled something. Astrid could only make out the word 'dead', but the rest of the sentence was vanished in the wind.

"What did you say?" the princess asked and took a few cautious steps towards him.

Hiccup raised his voice a little as he spoke again; "He is not dead."

"Really? Oh, that's such great news!" Astrid said and she felt she could breathe a bit more freely again. "How is he?"

"The arrow barely missed his heart, but our court physician managed to remove the arrow from his chest almost instantly, but there was something she wasn't telling us. My father didn't wake up until this evening which is why I was late. I asked him why Gothi was looking so worrisome, he just brushed it off as her being overly dramatic about things. He wasn't even mad at me for following my own plan, he was just happy to see me again."

"But isn't that great? I mean, he'll make full recovery and he practically approved of your plan even if he didn't say it directly."

"I suppose so," Hiccup said unconvinced. It was obvious that he was still feeling guilty and felt like it was his fault that Stoick had nearly died.

Astrid didn't know what else to do but walk up to him and pull him into their second embrace of the night. As they hugged each other, the princess thought about the previous days. Fragments of memories flashed before her eyes – well, they weren't memories, just recollections of different states of mind she had had and how she had felt. The thought of losing Hiccup had been consuming her mind so terribly that she realised she couldn't stay away from him.

This was supposed to be their last meeting, but how could she go on with her life without knowing whether he was safe? She had been so close to losing him forever, and that had made her understand how much Hiccup really meant to her. It wasn't some silly crush that would come and go. No, there was something more, and Astrid didn't want to let go of that. She couldn't just forget about the prince in her arms.

"What do we do now?" she asked against his shoulder piece.

"What do you mean?" he asked and broke the hug so that he saw Astrid's face.

"You know…this is supposed to be our good bye, and if we act sensibly, this would be the last time we see each other. But after everything that's happened, or what could've happened, I don't think I can stay away from you, no matter how risky it is. You…you mean too much to me and I would fly all the way to Berk if that meant I just get to see you after tonight."

It had never been easy for Astrid to talk about her emotions so directly, but something about Hiccup brought out her sensitive side that made it so much easier to speak her mind. She wasn't quite sure whether she enjoyed this change, but all she could do now was hope it would be enough to let Hiccup know how much she needed these moments with him.

The prince was going through many thoughts in his head, she could tell from his thoughtful facial expression. However, Astrid was surprised by how short a time it took Hiccup to change that to a content and loving smile. "All the way to Berk, huh?" he asked with a hint of teasing in his voice. Astrid nodded eagerly, desperate to let him know she was being serious. "I don't think that's necessary, milady. I wouldn't mind meeting in this beautiful place every once in a while."

"Really?"

"Really. But I think my father's suspecting that something's up, so it'd be for the best if we meet less frequently."

"Your father's suspecting something? Since when?" Astrid asked in surprise. A slight panic arose within her; was this a good idea after all? "Has he asked you about it?"

"No, he hasn't. It's just a feeling that I have. We've had a bit of strange air between us lately, and I thought that was the reason. But it would be so unlike him to remain silent if he has any reason to believe I'm spending time with you, so it could be anything, really."

Astrid nodded and bit her lip in doubt. They were still in each other's arms and it felt great to have Hiccup's warmth so close to her. She was pretty sure that once they parted, the coldness of the air would feel extra uncomfortable in the body parts that were now pressed against Hiccup. She didn't want to put an end to this, but if there was a reason to believe that the king of Berk was keeping a close watch on the prince, she didn't know if it was wise for them to keep on seeing each other.

Her hesitation didn't go unnoticed by Hiccup. He gave her a smile as he raised her chin with his finger. "Trust me, it'll be all right," he said with so much confidence that Astrid instantly felt more confident about the situation.

She nodded. "I trust you," she said.

Hiccup planted a kiss on Astrid's forehead and the princess sighed contently.

She had managed to dodge two goodbye's in one night. Her luck was unbelievable.

But Hiccup was right. It was going to be all right.  
They had each other, and that was what mattered to both of them right now.

* * *

**So all good for now :') and no cliffhanger! woooo :D**

**Anybody who's reading this bit here; thank you for being on-board, I hope you're enjoying this story as much as I enjoy writing it! You're all so amazing and I love you all.**


	21. The Unavoidable Future

**Aand we're back to Hiccup's POV!**  
**This chapter was a bit challenging for me to write, I will tell you why at the end of the chapter, so see you there!**

* * *

Stoick was back on his feet two days later. The wound hadn't healed, but that didn't stop him from sitting back on his throne. Hiccup could see that his father was in a lot of pain, and he was sure everybody else did, too. The king tried to hide it, but the pain seemed to be so unbearable that he couldn't control the hisses that escaped from his mouth and the painful expressions whenever he sat down or stood up, walked or, in short, simply existed.

The king had been given different options that would allow him to rest, but it had been like talking to a brick wall. Hiccup would've ruled Berk for the time his father needed to fully heal, and all the important matters that required Stoick's attention would've been postponed, but he was having none of that. The king didn't want other kingdoms to think Berk was an easy target for them, and on top of that he didn't want to give Briral the satisfaction that his bedrest would grant them.

Nothing was the same after Stoick had woken up, and it was making Hiccup uncomfortable. He didn't know how to react to his father giving him more and more responsibility out of nowhere, tasks and duties that the king himself had always taken care of. The prince wasn't allowed to meddle with those until now, and being driven into the unknown without the slightest notice was overwhelming and scary.

It became Hiccup's responsibility to plan the future attacks on Briral, and that if anything was unsettling. Stoick was certain that the prince would want nothing more than to see that kingdom burned to ashes after everything that happened. The king expected his son to be filled with rage, but he wasn't. Hiccup wasn't mad at Briral for shooting his father, he was mad at the pointless grudge that was the cause behind it all.

It was needless to say that it wasn't Hiccup's intention at all to make any plans regarding Briral, at least not ones that involved spilling blood. He wasn't sure how long he could delay another battle before the king began breathing down his neck, but that was something he wanted to find out.

If these changes made Hiccup uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to how he felt after hearing a dreadful piece of news two mornings later after Stoick had gotten out of his bed. When the king had demanded his son's presence in the Throne Room, Hiccup had been expecting to be given yet another task to fulfil. Well, he hadn't been completely wrong.

The king and queen of Olissa, along with their daughter, were going to arrive that afternoon. It had taken Hiccup a moment to realise what that meant, and when the realisation hit him, the word 'shocked' wasn't even close to describing how the prince felt.

He was going to meet Princess Arleigh.

"Why?" was the only thing to come out of the prince's mouth. He instantly realised how stupid it must've sounded, and Stoick's face was proof of that.

"Of course you need to meet Princess Arleigh before marrying her," the king said with furrowed eyebrows. "You surely want to know what she's like."

_Yeah, no_, was what he thought. "Of course" was what he said out loud.

Hiccup felt sick. Meeting her would only mean he was one step closer to having to face the fact that there was no hope for him to be with Astrid. He had always known it, but he sometimes teased himself with the distant hope that they could figure out a way to be together. However, now it felt as though that dim ray of hope was stepped on and extinguished by reality.

He did know this day would come eventually, but in no way did he think he'd need to face her for many years. Their marriage wasn't relevant at the moment, with Stoick surviving the arrow and him being so attached to that throne.

"They will be staying for a couple of days," Stoick added. "I know you're aware how important their visit will be, so I expect you to behave properly."

"And what does define 'proper behaviour', exactly?" Hiccup asked.

"When you're talking to them, just remember who their daughter is going to be to you. That should do the trick," the king said simply.

Gobber appeared out of nowhere with some important-looking letters in his hands. He handed them over to the king, who hissed in pain as he reached out his left arm. He ignored the pain and began reading the letters, which was a wordless permission for Hiccup to leave the Throne Room. He was more than happy to leave, as he needed to prepare himself for what was to come that afternoon. What that preparation was exactly, he didn't know. He just needed to get out somewhere to clear his head before stepping in front of their guests.

* * *

The afternoon came too soon. In the morning it had felt like he'd have plenty of time to mentally prepare himself, but now that the moment was here, he felt he hadn't done enough to stop himself from having an inner freak-out.

As he stood by the gate, Stoick and Gobber on the other side and he and Fishlegs on the other, he felt nervous. He knew what he was supposed to do – he should first focus on the king and queen of Olissa and drown them in compliments that didn't mean anything, after which he was allowed to look at Princess Arleigh and offer her a tour around Berk. After that, he was expected to escort the princess to the guest chambers where she'd have time to get prepared for the massive dinner. There was nothing complicated about it so he didn't need to consider his actions beforehand, which was why he had too much time to dwell on his nervousness.

"How are you feeling?" his friend asked him under his breath. He wasn't looking at the prince because they had to look like they weren't talking.

"If I ignore the fact that I feel like I'm about to jump into a bottomless pit with no way out, then I'd say I feel nothing," the prince responded. He took a sideway glance at his father who was in subconsciously rubbing his hand on top of the spot where the wound was while talking to Gobber who was just nodding his head every now and then.

"So that means…?" Fishlegs asked.

"That I'm feeling miserable. I know I shouldn't, but I am. Why am I feeling so miserable, Fishlegs?"

"That might have something to do with the fact that Princess Arleigh is stopping you from being with the one you want."

"There's a bit more than just her stopping that," Hiccup reminded him. "Add in hundreds of years of brainless fighting and stubbornness and we might just have the package."

"You may really like Princess Arleigh," his friend tried to cheer him up. "Maybe she'll make you forget about the other princess."

Hiccup snorted. Luckily that went unnoticed by Stoick. "As if that could ever happen."

The prince was convinced that he would still be mourning over Astrid when he was old and on his death bed, surrounded by his children that weren't Astrid's…

…and now he needed to stop thinking.

He didn't have time to sink deeper into his depressing thoughts, for someone from the watchtower that was located on top of the gate announced that the royal family of Olissa were arriving. Hiccup fixed his gaze on the horizon, and there indeed were four horses pulling a carriage that was surrounded by knights of Olissa, some of them travelled by foot and the others rode horses. The prince had completely forgot that Olissa was one of those kingdoms that chose to live without dragons.

The carriage came to a halt inside the kingdom walls, and out of it came out the king and the queen. One of the knights that had travelled by foot stood next to the carriage door, holding out his hand for the queen to grab for easier exit. They both looked older than Stoick, but the queen had successfully hidden most of the wrinkles around her eyes with make up. They both were smiling, but it didn't break the tension the situation was surrounded by.

Hiccup knew what to do. Once the king and the queen were standing on solid ground, he put his right hand behind his back and bowed down ever so slightly. Not too much so they didn't think the prince thought they were superior to him, but not too little to avoid showing disrespect.

"Welcome to Berk," Stoick said ceremonially. "I hope your journey here didn't come with any obstacles."

The royal couple bowed down and curtsied in a similar manner as Hiccup had done before the king spoke; "It was very pleasant, thank you. We spoke a lot about the greatness of Berk on our way here."

Hiccup doubted that very much. His father often said that as well if they were visiting another kingdom, but in reality they didn't talk about anything at all, mostly because it was near impossible to speak when their ears were filled with the sound of wind.

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last, Prince Hiccup," the queen of Olissa said and turned to look at him with a warm smile that still didn't convince Hiccup.

Nevertheless, he returned the smile. "The pleasure's mine," he said and bowed down once again.

That was when Princess Arleigh stepped out of the carriage. She eyed the surroundings with an unreadable expression, after which she first turned to face Stoick and then Hiccup.

She was the perfect definition of a typical princess. Nothing about her was out of place, the light blue dress with details in golden silk hugged her body. The sleeves of her gown were large and loose, and her dark brown hair highlighted her pale skin. Not a single strand of hair was sticking out of her tight bun. Just the way she stood there looked graceful, and how her lips curled into a tiny smile seemed measured as if she had been practising the perfect way to bring out her dimples in front of a mirror. She was really beautiful – there must've been something in the genes of royals that made it impossible to be anything but. Hiccup didn't know what to make of it, but one thing he was sure about; she was nothing like Astrid.

He mentally reminded himself of who that girl was going to be to him. It was no use comparing her to Astrid; it would only make him more miserable. "Princess Arleigh," he said as the princess took a couple steps towards him.

For a split second her eyes fixed on the prosthetic leg. Hiccup didn't miss that, but he was used to new people staring at it so he didn't mind. Arleigh raised her head to meet the prince's eyes again. "Prince Hiccup," she replied and reached out the back of her hand for Hiccup to take and press his lips on it. He did that. "I am delighted to meet you. I've heard so many great things about you and your achievements."

"I hope you'll find there's some truth to them," the prince responded.

Stoick and Gobber escorted Arleigh's parents towards the castle and Hiccup offered to take Arleigh around the kingdom grounds to properly see the place she was going to be living in some day. They walked through the village and the marketplace, and Arleigh was really curious about how Berk lived with dragons.

"I've heard a great deal about you and your dragon. They say you're the best dragon rider this world has ever seen," Arleigh said with a lot of enthusiasm. When Hiccup glanced at her, she was looking at the prince curiously.

"I…err…I don't know about that," he said and scratched the back of his head.

The princess let out a laugh that was clearly fake. "Don't be so modest, it doesn't look good on you," she replied in a teasing tone.

"I prefer to not claim titles that I don't know to have the right to possess."

Princess Arleigh didn't seem to understand him, the look she gave him resonated that. She examined him curiously and tried to make out something from his face. It made Hiccup slightly uncomfortable.

Astrid would've understood, and she would've agreed with him wholeheartedly. It was cruel how he had met someone with very similar views on the world and he didn't get to share his life with that person. He would've given almost anything to have Arleigh replaced by Astrid.

"When I eventually move here," the princess started, snapping Hiccup out of his sulky daydreams. "Hunting is very dear to my heart and I would love to continue it as my hobby also here in Berk."

"Hunting?" the prince repeated in surprise. He had never heard of a princess that hunts at her own will.

"Precisely. I have been doing it for as long as I can remember, and I would hate to part with it."

"Yeah, of course, I don't mind," Hiccup said, still astonished.

Arleigh was so delighted to hear those words that she let out a hearty laugh, a very genuine one this time.

They visited the stables, the training grounds and every other place that Arleigh found interesting. She was very talkative and there never came a moment of silence. She laughed a lot and she listened to everything Hiccup told her with interest written all over her face. Sometimes Hiccup got the feeling that she was faking it, because there was no way she'd find something like taxation in Berk interesting. Even the prince himself found that subject boring.

She asked many questions and Hiccup asked some in return. He found out that Olissa didn't have as strict rules for princesses and queens as Briral did, which explained how she had been training hunting for so long. Olissa didn't want to live among dragons because they didn't think the dragons would do that at their own will. He then told her that they hadn't forced any of their dragons to remain in Berk, and when Hiccup reminded her that Olissa hadn't most likely asked their horses whether they wanted to be at their service either, Arleigh just shrugged her shoulders because she didn't have an opinion on the matter.

"I can't contain my curiosity for much longer," the princess confessed suddenly and shot her eyes on Hiccup's prosthetic. "I have heard of stories about your missing leg, but I do not believe I have heard the right version. Did it really get bitten off by a dragon?"

"It did, but not in the way you probably think. I fell off Toothless – yes, that's my dragon's name, funny huh? – and he tried to save me from the fire that was underneath us. He did succeed in that, as you can see, but he grabbed me from the leg and with too much force so yeah... That's how I lost it. It's been almost five years now."

"Incredible," Arleigh said impressed. "It must be easier to have a missing leg knowing that you lost it because you were being saved."

"I never really think about it that way, but I suppose you're right," Hiccup replied with a slight frown. He fixed his expression before he turned to look at the princess and continued; "Is there anything else you'd like to see, or do you want me to take you to your chambers to get ready to dine with us?"

Arleigh considered his question for a moment before she replied with a gentle smile; "I think I'm in a need of a bit of rest, so that'd be wonderful."

The prince walked with her into the castle and showed her the corridor at the end of which the guest chambers were located. He also told her that if she wished to have guards at her door, that could be fixed. Arleigh didn't consider that necessary but thanked anyways and they parted their ways, the princess entering the corridor and the prince taking the stairs to the next floor where his own chambers laid.

* * *

The rest of the day had gone by quickly, much to Hiccup's surprise. Arleigh had sat next to him on the table and they had continued their discussion about Berk and Olissa, but meanwhile it was easy to talk to her, it didn't feel genuine. They were still speaking to each other too formally. Hiccup didn't know if that was because today had been their first time communicating in any way, and of course the fact that they both knew why they were communicating in the first place was haunting them at the back of their minds constantly. Or at least Hiccup's. It wasn't like they had been talking at their own will. It had been planned by his father and Arleigh's parents.

Hiccup leant his other foot against the stone wall of the castle while resting his elbow on his knee. He looked at the sky, his mind going back and forth between the memories of events that occurred today. He tried to clear his thoughts.

There were stars in the sky, but he couldn't make out any constellation. Not that he knew many, but there were a few he was aware of, but none of those were visible to him.

While looking at the sky and the stars, he was trying to make sense of what he thought of everything. The day with Arleigh had been surprisingly nice, and he had enjoyed his time with her for the most part. She perfectly fell into the 'stereotypical princess' slot, but her personality seemed much richer. He didn't know it was appropriate for princesses to hunt, and like it on top of that. He still didn't know if it was something Olissa approved of, and he made himself a mental note to find that out tomorrow.

They seemed to get along quite well, Hiccup had noticed that. It was easy to make Arleigh laugh and she seemed like a very happy person. She was also well-educated, and she seemed to have some interesting thoughts.

But she wasn't Astrid. Arleigh might laugh a lot but it didn't carry the same warmth Astrid's laugh did. It didn't make Hiccup feel anything. Her thoughts were interesting, but she wasn't an interesting person. Astrid was both.

He hated his mind for comparing them, but he couldn't help it.

"That's Antinous," he heard a voice say behind him. "It's a constellation created by an emperor who lived over a thousand years ago."

Hiccup turned his head. "Princess Arleigh," he said surprised and corrected his posture so that he stood on both feet. "Why are you up so late?"

Arleigh smiled sadly. "You're not the only one whose life changed a lot today," she responded and walked up to the prince. "I find walks at night very refreshing. The silence gives you space to think."

"It definitely does," Hiccup agreed and looked back at the sky. He tried to find the constellation, but it was no use. He didn't even know what it looked like.

"Something's troubling your mind," Arleigh said. It wasn't a question, it was a simple statement.

"It's nothing that matters," the prince replied.

That was both true and untrue. True because whatever he thought of the situation didn't matter. Untrue because what he was thinking of made him feel like he was being suffocated.

"But it clearly matters to you," the princess insisted, maintaining that gentle tone.

Hiccup didn't answer. He busied himself with the night sky and his thoughts instantly travelled to the forbidden sneak-outs that he had recently done with Astrid. It would be three more nights until he'd see her again – they had agreed to meet once a week from now on, and the prince already knew that those nights were going to be the highlights of his busy weeks. He couldn't wait to see her smile again, to feel her lips against his, to hold her in his arms.

A fond smile creeped on his lips before he noticed.

"There's somebody else. Somebody that you love," Arleigh said instantly. Again, not a question, just a statement.

"I don't love anybody," he said but even he could hear the hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Did he? Did he love Astrid? Could his feelings be that strong? It was true that his mind was mostly consumed by the thought of the princess of Briral, but had his feelings developed that much in such a short amount of time?

That was something he needed to figure out as soon as possible.

"But it's another your heart belongs to," the princess next to him stated. She didn't sound angry or sad, which was both relieving and strange to Hiccup.

"How do you–"

"I'm not blind, Prince Hiccup. I spent all day with you and I could see that your heart wasn't with you all the time. There were moments where you were lost in your own thoughts and smiling at nothingness. It wasn't that hard to miss."

Hiccup didn't really know what to say. Was he supposed to apologise? Or should he use the prince card and say that it was none of her business?

He decided to go with the former. "I…I am sorry I wasn't discreet about it. I swear that will try to behave from now on."

Arleigh shook her head with a sad smile. "Who is she?"

"That doesn't matter, does it?"

"No, I guess not," the princess said in thought.

They stood there in silence for a while. Hiccup glanced at Arleigh to see how she was taking in the news that he had feelings for someone else. The princess didn't seem upset, however. She was still thinking about something, and she looked like she was in peace with her thoughts.

Gods damn it with princesses and their unreadable, calm expressions.

"There's this man back in Olissa," she began, her eyes looking into nothingness. "He's the son of a huntsman, and he taught me how to hunt, I don't think I've ever seen a better hunter. We've been friends since we were kids. He isn't noble, but he truly acts like one. I always knew we couldn't be together, but knowing that has never made it easier to accept it."

That was, wow. Hiccup hadn't expected for Arleigh to have a similar story with him. It was hard to believe that they both knew exactly how it felt to be in this situation, to be forced to be parted from the one they truly wanted to be with. That brought some indescribable comfort to the prince. He didn't know why it was so relieving for him to know that he wasn't alone with these emotions, but it really was.

"I am sorry it cannot work out for you," Hiccup said sincerely. "If there was anything I could do about it, I would do it."

"There really isn't anything to be done," Arleigh responded with a sigh. "Our futures have been decided for us before we even knew what was going on. The only thing that's left for us to do is to try to make things easier for us. And that's why I am asking you – please, whatever it is that you feel, try to push it away. You're only making this hard for yourself if you keep on being sad. I like you, Prince Hiccup, I really do, and even if we will never love each other, I am glad it is you I am going to share my life with."

The prince smiled but it wasn't even close to reaching his eyes. "I will try my best. I liked your company today, too."

Deep down Hiccup knew he just couldn't push Astrid away. He knew he was being selfish, but he didn't want to part their ways ever. Knowing that she also felt the same way about him made things worse – if Astrid hated him, it would've been so much easier to just suppress his feelings and try to forget about them, but now? Not possible.

But was there any hope for them left? Was he only making things worse for himself, just like Arleigh said?

* * *

**...well, is there any hope for Hiccup and Astrid? (why am I asking when I am the only person who knows the answer lol)**

**This chapter was challenging to write because I didn't want to take the obvious road and make Arleigh a terrible person. I wanted her to be likable, but I also wanted to show that they aren't really made for each other. I constantly wanted to make her annoying but I think I managed to stay away from that path XD**

**Thank you all for reading this story!**  
**(something big is going to happen in the next chapter, just so you know huhuhuh)**


	22. An Abundance of Mistakes

**To those asking for more frequent updates: meanwhile I am honoured to hear that you want to read more of my story, I would like to point out that I work 10+ hours a day with one day off a week, and I have a social life I need to maintain during my spare time, too, so unfortunately one chapter a week is the best I can do. I am not a student on her summer holidays :) thank you for understanding!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It had been several weeks since the royal family of Olissa left Berk, and things had returned back to normal. Or as normal as they could – Stoick was still acting weird, and it seemed to get worse each passing day.

The king kept on giving Hiccup more and more responsibilities, and suddenly his son's opinion was very high on his list of priorities. Of course Stoick expected Hiccup to be excited about the new duties as they gave him a taste of what it was like to be a king, but that was exactly why the prince wasn't excited.

Was Stoick about to step aside, to retire early and give Hiccup the crown? That was the very thought that kept nagging at him, and no matter how hard he convinced himself that wasn't going to happen it still didn't go did appreciate that his father let him know what was waiting for him in the future, but was it really necessary to start doing it out of the blue? A warning one day beforehand would've been very nice, but that never happened.

The only thing that remained intact was the bond between Hiccup and Astrid. After Princess Arleigh left, they had met almost immediately, and that night had been enough to convince Hiccup that he had already broken his promise to Arleigh to try to forget his feelings for Astrid. He was in too deep and he didn't even want to get out of the hole he had dug himself into. He wanted to be with Astrid for as long as it was possible.

Maybe he shouldn't have.

The first snow that didn't immediately melt when it hit the ground had fallen over a week ago, and now everything was covered in snow. This was ideal for Hiccup and Astrid because it wasn't dark in the night, thanks to the moonlight that reflected off the white substance. It was beginning to be very cold in the night time, but that wasn't unusual. They were so used to the cold that Hiccup didn't even change his flight suit to something warmer – the only difference in his choice of clothing was that he added an extra, yet thin layer of clothes underneath the suit so that the cold didn't seep into his bones.

That night seemed like any other time that Hiccup and Astrid met. When the prince had departed from Berk, he had made sure no one had been following him and there was nothing that was telling him that something was going to happen, so he had left Berk without much of a worry in his mind.

He made three mistakes during the night.  
That was the first one.

* * *

That cliff had become so familiar to them that they knew it like the back of their hands. It was a great place to meet; they could easily hear if something was coming towards them and they could leave just as easily. The sea not far from the cliff crossed out one direction where it was possible to approach the two royals, so that made the place even more secure. In short, it was perfect because when they were on the cliff, they didn't need to pay much attention to anybody but themselves.

Seeing that loving smile on Astrid's face after one week was always enough to warm Hiccup up throughout his body, and the fluttery feel he got in his chest when he was reminded of just how wonderful it was to have her lips against his was a feeling he'd have loved to bask in forever.

These short meetings with the princess were what kept Hiccup going, and he was so thankful they existed. With all the strange things happening in Berk, it was comforting to know that there was something in his life that wasn't going to change anytime soon. Being here on that cliff with Astrid was sort of a getaway from all that fuss, and he felt as though he entered a safe bubble whenever his feet landed on the familiar ground they were standing on right now.

"Missed me?" Astrid asked softly once their lips parted.

"Mmm" was the only thing that came out of Hiccup's mouth. He hovered his mouth over hers while tightening his grip around her waist and pulling her even closer to him. "Very much," he breathed against her skin and closed the minuscule gap between their mouths one more time.

Astrid hummed contently into the kiss and Hiccup could feel a smile against his lips. The urge not to smile became too irresistible, so in the end their kiss turned into a mess of them trying to kiss but being unable to do so because of the smiles that became wider and wider by the second.

"I missed you, too," she said after they pulled away. "I feel like these weeks go by slower and slower. Like there's a year instead of seven days between our meetings."

"Tell me about it," Hiccup replied. He knew how she felt because that was exactly how he felt about it, too. Parting ways with Astrid had become harder and reuniting with her felt like he could finally let out a breath he had been holding for a week.

"I was wondering," the princess began and eyed between Hiccup and their dragons. "I really want to go flying tonight. I didn't get to do it at all this week because my mother kept me busy with her stupid lessons, and I'd love to have a casual flying session at least once a week. You know, without any destination and so on."

He looked at her with a fond smile when he responded: "Of course, let's go."

That was the second mistake.

* * *

They soared in the sky, letting that cold breeze of air brush against their skins, and they simply just lived the moment. It was obvious how much Astrid was enjoying flying with Stormfly, and Hiccup realised this was the first time he properly saw Astrid fly. She really did give it her best shot – with the Deadly Nadder, she made all sorts of difficult moves that she made look as easy as breathing. Not that Hiccup had had any doubts about it for ages now, but now it was clear to him that Astrid was a very talented dragon-rider.

"So, where should we go?" she asked when they were back by Hiccup and Toothless' side. "You know this area so much better because of your maps, so you must have something in mind."

Hiccup very recently told Astrid about his responsibility to make maps of all the possible locations and how Briral still remained his most unfinished map. Without a moment of hesitation, the princess had offered to steal a map of Briral from her father so the prince could've used it for reference, but Hiccup had refused; he didn't want Astrid to be in any trouble because of him. Astrid had protested but gave in eventually when the prince had told her that once their kingdoms were at peace with each other, he could visit Briral just to finish his map and therefore they'd have a valid excuse to see each other again.

Hiccup raised his eyebrow and looked at her amusedly, though she couldn't see that because of his helmet. It didn't stop him from expressing it through his voice, though. "Didn't you just tell me that you love flying without any clear destination? Or did you change your mind about that already?"

"I love flying without a destination I really need to get to. Going somewhere while knowing it doesn't matter if you get there is great. It feels relaxing."

Hiccup thought about it for a moment before he gave his answer: "I know a beautiful place not far from here. It's a bit closer to Berk and I think it will take less than an hour to fly there. Does it sound interesting enough?"

"With such verbose description? Yeah, sure, I'm in," Astrid replied with a laugh and the prince grinned at her even though it was hidden behind the helmet.

They turned around to head towards Berk.

"How's it going with you and your father? Has anything changed since last week?" Astrid asked and examined Hiccup's side profile.

"He's still being weird. It's been ongoing for about a month now, so I don't know if it's a permanent thing. Something about him changed after Briral's attack and I wish there was a way to find out what caused it."

"Why won't you just ask him?"

"Because I know my father. I may not know why he is being the way he is, but I know that asking wouldn't help at all. He will just brush it off as something that doesn't concern me, and if I tell him to be honest with me, he will remind me that he's my king and he doesn't take orders from me."

"What?" Astrid blurted out in disbelief. "Isn't it a bit bold of him to order you to take care of half of his duties and still tell you that you have no authority in Berk?"

"When you say it like that, it really does sound stupid," Hiccup admitted in thought. "But he's also right. He is my king and he doesn't have to listen to me even though I am his son. If he did, he'd still be resting because that wound from the battle still hasn't healed."

"It hasn't? But it's been ages!" Astrid said, surprise clear in her voice.

"I think it's only because he doesn't give himself time to rest and let it heal. Even Gothi tells him to take it easy but he doesn't think he needs any healing."

"Our fathers are about the most brainless creatures that have ever had the misfortune to inhabit this land," Astrid stated with a deep sigh. "My father has been waiting to hear the news that the king of Berk is dead, so he's started to plan a celebration feast for when that happens."

"Seriously?" Hiccup asked. A slight flash of anger rushed through his veins. How did the king of Briral dare celebrate someone's death? Was he a monster?

"Yep, he doesn't know that the arrow didn't kill your father, so he thinks it's just a matter of time that the news reach Briral," the princess explained apologetically.

"But it's been over a month."

"I know, that's why I called him brainless."

There was a short silence between them. It was a pleasant silence where the air didn't feel pressing at all. It was nothing like the silent moments between Hiccup and Astrid when they still were enemies to each other. Hiccup wasn't even sure if what they used to feel towards each other could be called animosity because they had never met before. How could he consider someone he hadn't ever seen his enemy? It had been the thought of the princess he had hated – he hadn't known anything but made-up lies about her.

He was so glad that was in the past now.

"So, what is this place you're taking me to like?" Astrid asked to break the silence.

"There's a waterfall, the stream is so strong it doesn't freeze in the winter. You can also walk behind it, and on the other side there's a beautiful view to a valley. I don't know how it looks now with snow on the ground, but in the summer it's spectacular."

"The image I just created in my mind is so beautiful that I can't wait to see what it really looks like," Astrid said. Hiccup glanced at her and saw her eyes closed.

They never made it to the waterfall.

There was a loud noise coming from the ground below them. Toothless immediately reacted to it by tensing his entire body and letting out low growls while looking down and moving his head frantically all around.

"What was that?" Astrid asked in a sharp tone. She had opened her eyes and was looking between Hiccup and the ground.

"I'm not sure. I think we need to find that out," Hiccup replied and was ready to go down.

"Don't you think that's exactly what we shouldn't do? It could be anything," the princess hesitated.

"It could also be another wounded dragon that needs our help," the prince said reasonably and with that he and Toothless lowered the altitude and glided towards the ground.

Astrid and Stormfly followed them at their heels and the four of them landed at the same time. The noise appeared again, this time much clearer. Hiccup and Astrid hopped off their dragons and searched the ground for any possible movements. The prince took off his helmet so that he could hear better. The sound was coming from the woods – they hadn't flown very far yet so the forest before them was the same in which they once took care of that Timberjack.

"Should we enter?" Astrid asked and beckoned the edge of the woods with her head.

Hiccup could only open his mouth until things started to happen in fast motion. First there was yelling, then there were a couple loud thuds and the sound of swords being drawn out, and before either Hiccup or Astrid knew it, they were captured by a gang of people.

The first faces that Hiccup saw were unfamiliar to him, but the next ones he recognised. They were the knights of Berk, accompanied by people he didn't know. A small relief washed over him as he said: "It's me, Prince Hiccup. I demand you to release us immediately."

Astrid stopped wriggling herself in an instant. When Hiccup looked at her, there was a mix of confusion and anger on her face.

"We can't do that, My Lord. King's orders," one of the knights holding him said.

Hiccup forgot how to breathe. He felt like the ground under his feet was about to collapse and suck him in. In fact, he wished that would happen, because that way he could've escaped the reality.

Stoick had ordered the knights to capture him.

Hiccup and Astrid exchanged a terrified look.

Two thoughts filled the prince's head.

First, why did his father want him captured?

Second, he hoped to gods that Astrid didn't think he was in any way involved in this. He tried to tell her with his gaze that he had no idea what was going on, but he couldn't tell whether Astrid could read that from his face. She wasn't paying attention to Hiccup either as she was trying to get rid of the two knights that had a very firm grip on both her arms.

Hiccup knew he should do something, but his body refused to move and no words came out of his mouth. He was still stunned by what the knight had said and his mind refused to believe it true. There had to be a mistake. Unless Stoick had figured out his son's secret and 'catching him in the act' was his way to approach it… If that was the case, how much did his father know?

As they were led towards the knights' dragons, Hiccup looked behind his back. Toothless and Stormfly had managed to escape. A slight ray of hope blossomed within him – perhaps they would rescue Astrid and him while they were on their way to Berk. Maybe Toothless could fire his plasma blast at the knights and Stormfly could shoot her spikes at them.

That didn't happen, though.

* * *

What surprised Hiccup the most was that they didn't take a hidden route to the castle. The prince had expected Stoick to not want everyone to see that he had ordered the knights to capture his son, but when they entered Berk from the main gate, he realised that his assumptions were horribly wrong. Did the king want to publicly humiliate Hiccup? If so, he was doing a marvellous job at that – for some reason, there were still a lot of Berkians awake and they all were curiously looking at the knights and the two prisoners, and when some of them finally recognised the prince, they began whispering with each other.

Astrid was sitting on the dragon that was behind the one Hiccup sat on, so he couldn't see how she was doing. He tried to look, but the princess was sitting behind a strongly-built knight so it was impossible to see anything through him.

When they were escorted to the Throne Room, the prince didn't even have to look up to see who were waiting for him and Astrid at the other end of the room. He knew that his father and his advisor, Gobber, would be there, and he was proven correct the moment he heard Stoick's bellowing voice.

"Back at last," he said to the knights. Hiccup still wasn't looking, but he was quite sure that his father was now looking between him and Astrid. "And you caught them. Yes, very good, very good…"

When the prince heard Stoick rise from his throne, he looked up. He thought his father was going to walk up to him and yell at him, but his father wasn't even looking at him. His eyes were fixed on the princess of Briral, and when he stopped right in front of her, the smile on his face was so malicious that Hiccup felt sick.

"Once again you find yourself at our mercy, and this time you're not getting away. We have just the perfect cell for Your Highness, I would give you a personal tour, but I assume that place is already familiar to you."

Hiccup had never heard Stoick speak like that. His voice was filled with loathing, anger and mockery. The look on his face was so threatening and intimidating that even Astrid had become speechless.

The princess took a quick look at the prince who immediately mouthed 'I am so sorry' to her before he heard Stoick order the knights to take her to the dungeons, leaving Stoick and Hiccup alone with the knights that were still holding him.

"Release him," the king said as he turned around to sit on the throne. The knights let go of him and before Hiccup had time to utter out a single word, Stoick spoke again. This time his voice was emotionless and cold, and it was hard to say if he was mad at his son. "You were seen with Princess Astrid tonight outside of Berk."

"Yes?" Hiccup responded. He acted calm but in reality his nerves were about to murder him on the spot.

"And you seemed rather friendly with her," he stated the obvious again.

"I suppose that is correct," the prince said, not daring to ask how much the knights and the unknown people had seen. In fact, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Then something Hiccup didn't expect to happen, happened. Instead of Stoick bursting out with rage, he burst out laughing. His laugh was very short-lived though, as he let out a hiss of pain and pressed his hand against the spot where the wound was. He continued to laugh silently, but the strange reaction made Hiccup even more nervous.

"That's the most brilliant idea you've ever had, my son!" Stoick said happily, still laughing.

Hiccup blinked. "Excuse me? What idea?"

"At first I had my doubts, but then I realised that there must be something big going on. I must admit I was hoping you'd tell me about it some other way than this, but at least now we have that nasty princess locked up in the dungeons and that's what matters. I am proud of you, Son."

The prince wasn't quite following. "What is it you think I've been doing?"

"You've befriended the princess so you could get information about Briral, of course! You've been spending so much time with her that you must've found out something that will help us defeat Briral and have our revenge!" Stoick said cheerfully. His smile was hidden behind the bushy beard, but the risen cheeks told Hiccup that his father's smile was very wide.

"What?!" the prince blurted out. "That's not why I spend time with her!"

Stoick's smile faded just slightly. "Oh come on, what other reason would there be?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe I simply want to spend time with her? She's nothing like you've told me, and she has done absolutely nothing to deserve to be down there," he said and pointed at the floor with his hand. He had no idea where his courage was coming from, but something about his father thinking that he was taking advantage of Astrid sent his blood boiling. "You need to release her and let her go!"

The king shook his head, still smiling. "You must be joking."

"This is the furthest I've ever been to joking. I am dead serious, Father."

Stoick still refused to believe him. He had stopped smiling, however. "This is getting ridiculous. Stop this foolishness and start acting like the son you are."

"Oh for Heaven's sake!" Hiccup bellowed which took his father and Gobber by surprise. "I am not pretending! You cannot use other people as your tool to get your revenge on Briral! In fact, Briral doesn't have to be our enemy! Blood has been spilled for centuries, and what have we achieved from that? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! This grudge between our kingdoms is ridiculous, and our innocent citizens are the ones that suffer the most from it! Berkians deserve a peaceful life, and you've stolen that right from them by holding a grudge you don't even know the reason for! You can't just blindly hate something and expect everyone to follow along, I used to do that but that's not me anymore! So please, if you want to do something right, just release Astrid because she's done nothing wrong! Punish me all you want, but leave her be."

It was clear now that Stoick was angry. He was really, really angry. "How dare you? After everything I've done for you, you pay me back like this? Going against your own father? I am your king and you have no authority to address me like that! Now I see what that wicked girl has done to you – she's brainwashed you to turn you against me so that Briral will have an advantage on us, and that she has succeeded in."

"She's not wicked and she hasn't brainwashed me! These are all my own thoughts that she's just helped to realise!"

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. She's obviously nothing but danger to Berk, and she will be treated as such. I am relieved I could put an end to this before it was too late. She will be executed in the afternoon."

"NO!" Hiccup cried out. His heart was beating so fast it was about to break through his ribcage. His brain had stopped thinking and he didn't register the words he said before they left his mouth. "Please, don't! You can do whatever you want to me, but do not kill Astrid! She's done nothing wrong! I– I love her."

The second those last three words were said, Hiccup knew he had made his third mistake of the day. He wished he could take them back, because what happened next was beyond his wildest imagination.

Stoick stood up from his throne and looked at the prince as though he didn't recognise him. "HOW DARE YOU BRING SUCH SHAME AND EMBARRASSMENT UPON MY KINGDOM? HOW CAN YOU BE SO WEAK AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THE ENEMY?"

"Briral doesn't–"

"DO NOT UTTER OUT SUCH NONSENSE IN MY PRESENCE! YOU'VE COMMITTED TREASON OF THE WORST KIND AND YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED," Stoick roared and glanced at the guards standing around the room. "SEIZE HIM!"

In the blink of an eye, Hiccup was surrounded by the guards of Berk. Two of them grabbed his arms and started dragging him towards the large wooden door, the rest had their spreads pointing at him. The prince didn't fight back because he knew it'd be no use. He didn't even ask where the guards were taking him; he already knew. He would be spending the night in the cells, right where Astrid was now. That fact made this situation a bit more bearable, but it didn't make him feel any better about it. Why didn't he ever think? Now he lost all his chances to free Astrid, all because he let his mouth move before his brain proceeded a thought. What he had said was true, but that had been literally the worst place to say it.

The cells were far beneath the surface, and the air was bad in there. The two guards threw Hiccup into one of the cells, and he lost his balance and fell to the cold stone floor. They closed the cell door with a bang before locking it. Hiccup was left staring at the door with a blank expression, he had never spent a single second in a cell as a prisoner and his ability to have rational thoughts seemed to vanish with the guards. He didn't know what to think or do for that matter.

"Hiccup?" he heard a familiar voice call him. He instantly came back to his senses and he turned his head in a swoosh. He saw Astrid staring back at him in the cell right next to his, and he felt some warmth returning to his body.

"Astrid!" he cried and rushed next to her in a blink. When closer to her, he noticed her bloodshot eyes. She had been crying and knowing that made Hiccup hate himself even more. He carefully placed his other hand on Astrid's that was holding onto one of the bars and looked her in the eyes with a gaze he hoped transmitted apology and deep sorrow. "You have no idea how sorry I am. I don't know how you could ever forgive me."

"It's not only your fault, don't blame yourself," she replied silently. "But why are you in that cell? You're the prince of Berk, for crying out loud! Doesn't your father have any mercy? You're his son!"

"He thought I had befriended you to get information out of you, and when I told him that wasn't the case I accidentally let it slip that I loved you–"

"Wait, you love me?" Astrid cut him off.

"I do. After I let that slip, he just lost it. He told me I am a disgrace, and he thinks you've brainwashed me. I am down here because of the crime I've committed."

"Excuse me?" she said with a high-pitched voice. "That's outrageous! How can he do that to his own son? And to think I've brainwashed you? That's just ridiculous."

Hiccup shrugged. "I think he's so blinded by his hatred for Briral that he's ready to risk everything and everyone if that means he's one step closer to defeating your kingdom."

"But what will happen to us now?" Astrid asked. Her red eyes radiated fear as if she already knew the answer.

Hiccup took his time to think of a response to that, and when he spoke, he didn't dare look at Astrid, "They will use you as a bait to lure the Briralians into a trap before executing you, and I will most likely be hanged for my crimes, or banished."

Astrid inhaled sharply and she tightened the grip on Hiccup's hand. "Tha–that cannot happen, I don't want to lose you like this!"

Her voice was trembling, which made Hiccup raise his head to look at her again. There were tears streaming down her cheeks, and he also felt something inside him grieve more than ever before.

These could be the last moments they ever spent together.

"We'll figure something out," Hiccup said but his voice didn't sound even half as convinced as he'd have liked. "You're not going to lose me."

"It's just... you mean so much to me, you have no idea how much I care for you," Astrid said weakly, her voice being just a mere whisper. "I…I love you too."

Hiccup gave her a small and sad smile at that. "I love you," he said.

There was nothing more he wanted to do right now than kiss her, just a little peck on the lips would have been enough, but the gaps between the bars were too tight. All he could do was stroke Astrid's hand and look her in the eyes.

He didn't know how long they were sitting there on the cold stone floor, maybe minutes, perhaps hours, trying to be as close to one another as the bars let them, but suddenly there was the sound of approaching footsteps. Hiccup didn't want to look up, but when he heard the cell door creak open, he had to. His insides turned solid ice when he realised it had been Astrid's cell that had been opened, not his like he had expected.

"What do you want with me?" she asked the two guards in her cell. She tried to sound demanding, but the fear in her voice was too strong.

Without saying a word, the guards seized her by both arms and started dragging her.

"NO!" Hiccup shouted and stood up.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out in a desperate voice.

The prince ran to the door to his cell and tried to reach out to her through the bars, but his arm was too short. "Astrid! Where are you taking her?!"

No answer from either of the guards. Hiccup repeated the question, but it was to no avail. All he could hear was Astrid's cries of pain as she was dragged on the floor towards the stairs that led out of the dungeons.

After a while, all sound was gone and he was left in complete silence.

"Astrid," he said in a whisper and leant his forehead against the cold bars.

* * *

**AAAAAAA what'll happen? :0**  
**Will they survive?**

**That you'll find out in the upcoming chapters hihi ;)**  
**Love you all :3**


	23. Even If It Kills Him

Hiccup was beginning to lose all his hope. Despite his numerous attempts at trying to get an answer from the guards, they remained silent as a stone. The prince wanted to know where they had taken Astrid and what they were planning to do with her, but no matter how any times he hit the cell door with his foot or he called for the guards, he was the only one making any sound in the dungeons. Of course the guards didn't respond – Hiccup wouldn't have been surprised if Stoick had told them to speak upon the pain of death.

He felt useless, desperate and defeated all at the same time. He had no way out of the cell, all of Berk was suddenly against him and he was not used to being ignored by his people. He had no idea where Astrid was at the moment, neither did he know if she was still alive. It had been a maximum of three hours since the princess was taken by the guards, so it couldn't be close to afternoon which was when Astrid was to be executed.

The truth was Hiccup didn't have any sense of time down in the cell, for no daylight came into the dungeons and apart from the rare spots that the torches illuminated light on, it was totally dark. So it could've been past midday and the prince had no idea. He felt as though he had been banging his fists and foot against the cell door for hours on end, but when he thought about it rationally, he knew it couldn't have been more than a few hours.

Hiccup paced around the cell, his prosthetic leg making noise as it hit the stony floor. He was silently hoping that the clanking sound of it would eventually piss off the guards enough to speak to him, but they didn't seem to mind even when the prince was making sure he was being very loud.

Suddenly he heard somebody speak and he stopped dead in his tracks. He listened. The person was speaking quietly, most likely to the guards, and their voice sounded frightened and nervous. Then there was a sound of agreement from the two guards that appeared in front of Hiccup's cell door with the visitor. It was a maiden from the kitchens, holding a tray that had a loaf of bread, a few grapes and a water goblet on it. The guards unlocked the door and she took a few steps into the cell.

"Breakfast for the prisoner," the girl said timidly and stood close to the entrance. She was still holding the tray and she kept nervously glancing at the guards behind her back.

"I am not hungry," Hiccup stated and looked away. He couldn't even think about eating when the person he loved was in danger. "You can take the tray with you."

"You may become hungry later, My Lord. I will leave it in the corner," she replied in a quiet voice. She walked deeper into the cell and Hiccup saw her walk past him towards the farthest corner of the cell. After she put the tray down on the floor, she turned around to look at the prince. She seemed very nervous and she was twiddling the cuff of her dress' sleeve. "You might eventually find something that sparks your interest on that tray."

Huh. Hiccup found her choice of words very strange, but he decided not to comment on it. Instead, he just nodded at the maiden with a thank you, after which she disappeared out of sight and the cell door was slammed shut again.

The prince looked at the tray with a frown. Something about her words seemed measured and like they had some meaning to them. Why would he find anything interesting on that tray if he wasn't hungry? There had to be more to it, perhaps she knew about Astrid's whereabouts or what was about to happen to her and she had left a note for him?

Hiccup looked up to see whether the guards had already left the front of his cell before he silently walked to the silver tray and took a better look at the contents on it. At a quick glance it looked like there was nothing else but food, but the prince didn't leave it at that – he carefully examined every inch of the tray, putting the grapes and the water goblet aside. Nothing was revealed underneath them, so he moved onto the loaf of bread. The moment he lifted it up, he noted how unusually heavy it was for bread. He quickly glanced at the cell door to see it empty before examining the loaf in his hand further. It had been tampered with, that much was obvious from the way it looked. One side of it was torn apart almost completely, which meant that there was something inside. Something heavier than just a piece of paper.

He tore the loaf of bread in half, and he couldn't believe his eyes when the hidden contents were revealed. A key to the cell.

It was a copy. He had no idea how somebody had managed to create a mould of the real one and then had time to smith a bar of iron into a key. It looked nearly flawless and there was no doubt in Hiccup's mind that it would unlock the cell door.

He didn't even have time to think of ways to get out of the cell and past the guards unarmed before the answer came to him; the warning bell rang, loud and clear. They were deep beneath the ground but the sound could still be heard. When somebody sounded the warning bell, all knights and guards had to go to the courtyard where the nature of the alert was told and positions were divided, and that also involved the guards standing a few feet from Hiccup.

The guards took one more look at the prince before they disappeared behind the corner and ascended the stairs. Hiccup waited patiently a short while until he put the key into the lock and turned it clockwise. While he waited, he wondered why the warning bell had gone off in the first place. If Berk was under attack, he could only hope that there was a spare dragon for him so he could defend his kingdom. If Astrid had managed to escape once again, which he hoped was the case, it'd mean he had a better chance to make it out of Berk alive himself.

The cell door opened, and the prince wasted no time getting out of the dungeon. His legs felt numb because of how cold it was down there, but he tried his best to ignore that and sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could. Once he was closer to the top of the stairs, he slowed down to avoid making noise. He had gotten very lucky with the timing of the warning bell, and he felt as though he used all his luck on that so he proceeded very cautiously – he couldn't afford to be seen by a single soul.

Since the stairs to the cells were located at the part of the castle nobody rarely used, Hiccup wasn't expecting to see anybody, so when he saw a dark figure at the top of the stairs, it took him all his might to not let out a yelp of surprise and fright. He quickly retreated to the shadows and leant against the stone wall that surrounded the stairs. His heart was beating fast, and he was sure it could've been heard by anybody within a mile if it weren't for the loud clanging noise of the warning bell.

"Hiccup, it's okay, it's just me," he heard a familiar voice coming from the figure.

"Fishlegs?" the prince asked mostly to himself. He didn't dare to believe it was his friend waiting for him, but the figure's voice had sounded unmistakably like Fishlegs'.

"Yes, come up."

He hesitantly stepped out of the shadows and after ascending a couple more steps, he could recognise Fishlegs. Relief washed over the prince and he couldn't believe he still hadn't used up his luck. "What are you doing here? Didn't you hear the warning bell? It's dangerous to be outside now."

"Helping you to save Astrid," his friend responded. "And it's not, we caused it to ring."

"We? Who are 'we'?"

"No time to explain, you need to get yourself to safety before they see you've broken out of the cell," Fishlegs said in a rush and had already taken several steps.

Hiccup let him lead the way. The prince trusted his friend to know what he was doing; he clearly had a plan in his mind, and Hiccup knew it all too well how frustrating it was when someone that wasn't part of the planning process tried to meddle with it, and the only thing they succeeded in was making everything more complicated.

He kept on repeating his friend's words in his mind. _Helping you to save Astrid_. That must've meant she was still alive and there was hope left. If they were successful, he might still see her. He might even be able to help her get away with him.

Gods, how could those five words mean so much to him? He felt like his life was dependent on them and he was hanging onto them with both of his hands.

The cries of the guards and knights could be heard all around them and navigating through the village was a challenging task. Hiccup still had no clue where they were going – he was too focused on not being seen to focus on where his friend was taking him.

True, he was used to sneaking out, but he had never been an escaped prisoner until this day. Moreover, he always did it when the sun had already set – now the sun had already risen so there were no dark places they could hide in. It turned out to be very difficult to become invisible in the morning light.

The prince wanted to ask where they were going, but fought the urge. Even though it was unlikely anybody was going to hear them whispering, it didn't mean it wasn't possible. Astrid's life was in his hands and he needed to act rationally. And it wasn't like he was not going to find that out eventually anyway – knowing it a few minutes beforehand wouldn't make any difference.

It took Hiccup but a moment of examining his surroundings to realise where they were headed to. They were in that part of the village where Fishlegs lived, and his house was just behind the corner. Both of them looked around them and at the sky for any signs of someone who they shouldn't be seen by before running towards Fishlegs' house. The lock on the door was broken so he yanked it open and almost pushed Hiccup inside. Fishlegs closed the door a bit too forcefully and its hinges let out a pained noise.

The prince instantly situated himself underneath the only window of the house so that no intruder could see him. He crouched down, not daring to sit in case he needed to act quickly. He watched Fishlegs as he nervously glanced out the window to make sure nobody had followed them.

"Do you know where Astrid is?" Hiccup began. The appearance of his voice caused Fishlegs to lower his eyes to look at the prince. "How could the maiden give me that key? How did you know to wait for me? And how did you trigger the warning bell? And who did you mean when you said 'we'?"

"If I explain it to you now, you wouldn't believe me. We need to wait for somebody," his friends responded quietly.

"I don't think there's time to wait, Fishlegs. Could you at least tell me if you know where Astrid is?" Hiccup pleaded. He so wished he could have just roamed around the kingdom grounds freely so he could have easily looked for Astrid. Now he had to waste time hiding in his friend's house and there was no telling whether it was already too late to do anything. The not knowing was slowly driving him insane.

Fishlegs was just about to open his mouth to reply, but he was disturbed by a sudden noise that was coming from the other side of his house. The door to the small backyard creaked open and a tall and slender man walked in. No candles were lit in Fishlegs' home so the person remained unknown to Hiccup. The prince looked up to his friend who didn't seem affected by the intruder in the slightest.

"Sorry I'm late, got a bit held up out there," the man said and Hiccup saw his hand move and point at something which apparently was the window. "Had to make sure no one could connect this house to me."

Hiccup could recognise that cheerful and carefree tone anywhere. He didn't believe his ears at first, but after the man had finished talking, there was no mistaking in who he was.

"Fairfax?!" he yelped in surprise and gaped at him. Momentarily the prince forgot the situation they were in and he stood up and rushed towards the former knight and hugged him. "Wha– what are you doing here? How long have you been back in Berk? I mean, you were banished, what made you come back?" the prince asked as he pulled himself away from the hug.

Fairfax smiled brightly and flashed his teeth. He was clearly enjoying Hiccup's reaction. "I never left, your friend has been kind enough to accommodate me all this time."

"It's been so hard to keep it from you, but I didn't want to risk him being caught," Fishlegs explained apologetically.

"It's been tough to be trapped within four walls, but I'd take this life over the other alternate I had any day. The thought of living in the woods didn't really appeal to me," Fairfax elaborated and moved towards the table and the stools that surrounded it. He sat on one of them and looked between Hiccup and Fishlegs.

"And it's great that he's still around – without him saving you from the prison wouldn't have been possible."

"What do you mean?" Hiccup finally found his voice.

Fishlegs and Fairfax shared a look between each other and the former nodded to encourage the latter to tell the entire story.

Fairfax looked back at Hiccup and he began: "Yesterday Fishlegs was in a hearing about you. The king asked him very specific questions about you, like if he knew the reason behind your sneak outs or if you had been telling him anything about Briral. He didn't tell anything, but it was obvious the king knows about your secret, and we knew it was only a matter of time that they capture you. When Fishlegs rushed to warn you, you were nowhere to be seen. He looked everywhere, but it appeared you had already gone.

"When Fishlegs saw Berk's spies and some knights leave almost right after you, we knew we had to act and quickly. We needed to do something in case they captured you, so Fishlegs went to your chambers and took several keys that might be useful to help you escape and he spoke with the blacksmith and said that you had ordered him to make a spare copy of those keys. We thought you wouldn't mind.

"The news about your capture reached us when you were already locked away in the cell with Astrid, so we had to proceed with our plan. There's this lady, Mildred, in the kitchens who knows I am here and she helps me out by sending food with Fishlegs. Wouldn't be alive without her. She agreed to help us sneak the key into your breakfast as she was the one preparing and delivering it to you.

"Fishlegs and I were waiting at the top of the staircase to hear what Mildred had told you. We all agreed you had understood the hidden message since you didn't ask for any explanation, so we instantly moved onto the next part of our plan. I took away the cloak I was wearing and made a quick appearance in front of some knights. Since I am banished and to be hanged if I return here, they sounded the warning bell, and all that was left for us to do was trust your brain. I also had to make sure I wasn't seen by anyone after that, which turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated. And now we're here."

Hiccup was perplexed. Fairfax and Fishlegs had risked their lives for him once again. And this lady from the kitchens that the prince didn't even know had been ready to put her life at stake for him, too. Hiccup felt bad for finding out her name only now. He needed to thank her personally if he ever made it out of this situation alive.

That sent him back to reality. Acts of gratitude could wait, but Astrid couldn't. "Do you know anything about Astrid? Where is she?"

Both of them shook their heads no. "I haven't been able to be around anybody with such information," Fishlegs responded and looked at the prince sadly.

If there had been any hope left in Hiccup's mind, it was now extinguished. There were about one hundred possibilities as to where Astrid could be now. Without the slightest clue that would single out a handful of options, it was impossible to track her down.

"Have you seen Toothless?" Hiccup asked suddenly. "He got away when Astrid and I were captured."

"He came to me some hours ago. I think he was accompanied by Astrid's dragon," Fishlegs said. "He seemed very worried about you."

The prince sighed in relief. "Do you know where he is now?" he asked. If he had Toothless, he might still have some hope in finding Astrid before it was too late – covering the kingdom grounds on a dragon was much faster.

"Both of them are in the back," Fairfax said and pointed at the back door he had come in from.

The front door was slammed open and Hiccup's heart skipped a couple beats out of fright. He was prepared to see an army of knights and guards by the door and his mind was already planning to run to the back and hop on Toothless to fight them off, but what stood there instead was a scared-looking girl. The prince recognised her as the maiden who had visited him in the dungeons.

"Mildred," Fairfax breathed out and stood up from the stool. "What are you doing here?" his voice was soft when he spoke, but it sounded worrisome.

"They're looking for you, Fairfax," Mildred panted. She must have been running all the way from the castle to Fishlegs' hut to warn them. "They're inspecting every single building and they will be here soon!"

"Go out from the back door and hide!" Fishlegs exclaimed alarmed and looked at Hiccup and Fairfax. "They cannot see either of you!"

The two acted fast. They rushed out of the house with Fairfax showing the way. Hiccup closed the door behind him once they were outside, and he was immediately greeted by the sight of Toothless and Stormfly. The Night Fury was about to start bouncing in exhilaration, but the prince shushed at him and the dragon stopped moving in an instant. Hiccup didn't need to say anything; the exchanged look was enough for them to communicate with each other.

The warning bell was still clanging. Of course it was – they hadn't yet found Fairfax who was currently scanning their surroundings like a hawk. In Fishlegs' extremely small backyard there was an old and broken cart behind which Hiccup and Fairfax found shelter until the inspectors left.

It didn't take long for them to hear new voices talking inside the house; the planks with which the house was built had a few cracks and gaps between one another, so they could listen in on the conversation. Hiccup recognised most of the voices, it sounded as though they had delegated the most trusted knights for this mission. When they spoke, they spoke with so much authority and threat in their voices that the prince felt ashamed it was considered normal for noblemen to talk to the villagers in such manner.

"Can you recognise any of them?" Hiccup whispered to Fairfax.

The former knight looked at the prince and nodded. "Sir Shipley is there. Used to be very good pals with him. I wonder if his opinion on me has changed after everything that's happened."

"Thank you for risking so much for me. I don't feel like I deserve it," Hiccup said in a flash of guilt. After all, he was the reason the man next to him was no longer a knight of Berk. "I can't ever repay you for everything you've done and lost for me."

Fairfax laughed silently and pat the prince on his shoulder. "Just give me the softest pillows in all of Berk once you're the king and we're even," he said. After that he turned graver. "How will we figure out what the plan is for Astrid? Any ideas?"

Hiccup thought, but his mind was blank as a piece of fresh parchment. Whenever he thought about Astrid, and she was honestly the only thing on his mind, his brain jumped into panic mode and it was hard for him to form a proper thought in his head. There were fragments that didn't connect with each other.

He was interrupted by the loud noise that was coming from the knights and guards. They were planning to separate their ways so that they could visit all the houses faster.

"I'll go this way, there is only a handful of houses," one of them said.

"That's Sir Shipley," Fairfax stated in a tone of surprise.

Then it hit the prince. Shipley was one of the most trusted knights in Berk, which meant that he had all the information they needed regarding Astrid and her whereabouts. That knight was possibly their only chance.

The footsteps of Shipley got closer and closer to the backyard. Hiccup couldn't see him, but he could hear him stop dead in his tracks just a few feet from them.

"Toothless?" he asked in confusion. "What are you doing here fully equipped? And who's that dragon you have with you?"

Hiccup stood up but kept his back lowered so that he was still hidden behind the cart. Fairfax gasped next to him and tried to pull him back down from the hem of his shirt. "What are you doing? He'll kill you!" he whispered, fear evident in his voice.

The prince didn't answer. He jumped in front of the cart, grabbed the unsuspecting knight by the arm and dragged him to their hiding place. He drew out the sword from Shipley's scabbard and handed it to Fairfax who was still sitting on the ground. He took it, eyes wide from shock.

Sir Shipley looked just as confused. "What the–"

"Where is Princess Astrid?" Hiccup demanded, getting straight to the point.

"Prince Hiccup?" Shipley blurted out. "How did you get out of the cell?"

"Long story. Where is Princess Astrid?" he repeated.

"I can't tell."

"Hiccup, what are you doing?" Fairfax asked uncertainly. Shipley snapped his head to the side immediately, and the sight of the man on the ground didn't help erase the confusion on his face at all.

"Fairfax?! My Lord, why are you with the traitor?" Shipley asked and took turns in looking at Hiccup and Fairfax.

"Fairfax enjoys my complete trust," Hiccup answered impatiently. "Please, you need to tell me where Princess Astrid is," he continued.

"My lips are sealed," the knight said firmly. He clearly wasn't liking this moment.

Hiccup glanced at Toothless who was observing the moment in the background. The dragon seemed to realise what the prince was thinking, for he took a few steps towards them, growled in a low voice while keeping his eyes fixed on Sir Shipley and then opening his mouth with plasma blast glowing inside it.

The knight eyed the Night Fury suspiciously, and there was no mistaking in the clear fright on his face. Toothless kept on coming closer and the plasma blast in his throat grew bigger.

Sir Shipley finally gave in: "Alright, alright, My Lord, I'll tell you! She's currently in a hearing in the Throne Room, the king wants to get every ounce of information out of her before they take her away."

"Away? What do you mean by 'away'?" Hiccup demanded, not daring to blink.

"She'll be taken to the sea. I don't know what they're planning to do with her, but I guarantee it's nothing that will end prettily."

"So my father isn't going to execute her?" the prince asked disbelievingly and looked down at Fairfax who was still sitting on the ground, Shipley's sword in his hands. "What in the name of Thor is going on with him?"

"He hasn't been himself lately. Something has changed," Shipley responded darkly, giving nervous glances at Toothless every now and then.

Hiccup didn't comment on that. His father had become unpredictable, and that scared the living shit out of the prince. He didn't want others to know how he felt about the change, though. "Thank you for telling this to me, Shipley. I appreciate it," he said, concealing his true emotions impressively well.

The knight let out a very hollow laugh at that. "As if you left me with any other choice," he replied sharply and gave one more look at the Night Fury who looked very pleased with himself.

"He wasn't going to shoot you," Hiccup stated as he walked to his dragon. Fairfax followed him suit, leaving Shipley all alone behind that cart.

"What are you going to do now?" Fairfax asked.

"I'm going to the Throne Room," the prince replied instantly. There was no hesitation in his mind about that.

Fairfax didn't reply. He was still holding Sir Shipley's sword and he didn't seem to be willing to part his ways with it anytime soon. It had probably been a long time since he had held a sword in his hands.

Hiccup's attention was drawn to Stormfly who was pacing around nervously in the unfamiliar environment without her owner. She darted her head everywhere, looking for what Hiccup could only assume to be Astrid. The prince walked up to the Deadly Nadder and placed his hand on her snout.

"Don't worry, Stormfly. I will save her, even if it kills me."

* * *

**Four chapters to go 0_0 who's ready to scream with me? 3...2...1... AAAAAAAAAAAAA!**

**The response to the previous chapter was mind-blowing, I wanna buy y'all a rose because you're such wonderful readers :3 I hope you liked this chapter! Comments and pretty much any kind of response are more than welcome :')**


	24. The Same Fate

**Razor95:** The name Briral doesn't have any significant meaning behind it, it's just a name I found on some fantasy kingdom name generator, because apparently that is a thing :'D 

**I had this chapter nearly done since Friday, but then I was surprised with a lovely '15 hours a day' work schedule for 4 days. Now I'm basically brain dead and the only way I proof-read this was I made Microsoft Word read this chapter out loud to me XD I hope it's not full of mistakes, it shouldn't be but I'm so sleep deprived that it's possible.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Fairfax asked. "So many things can go wrong if you enter the Throne Room."

Hiccup turned his head and saw Fairfax looking in the direction of where the castle was. The prince kept his hand on Stormfly's snout, hoping the gesture would calm her down a bit.

"Everything so far has gone south, I don't see how things can go much worse from here. And I can't just stand here and wait for them to head towards the sea if there's a chance I can stop them before that."

"There's a lot more at stake than just Princess Astrid, though. If you pick your side in the Throne Room, it will decide the direction in which your life will be turning," the former knight reasoned. "I just want to know that you know what you're about to do," he continued and turned around. There was an expectant look in his eyes as he waited for the prince to respond, knowing that whatever he was going to say would determine what was to be done next.

Hiccup didn't hesitate with his answer even for a second. As he spoke, he moved towards Toothless and fixed his saddle to speed things up: "I lost my chance to be the future of Berk the moment I let it slip that I loved Astrid. My father's mind is so poisoned by the hatred he feels for Briral that he's incapable of change, and if that means dethroning and banishing or killing me, then that will happen. I am surprised he hasn't done that already. There's nothing I can do to change the past, but if there's a chance I can save Astrid and let her return to her home unharmed, I will take it. No question about that."

"So you love her? It's that serious?" Fairfax asked, to which Hiccup simply nodded. The prince was already on the back of his dragon, ready to take off. The other man studied the prince for a short while before he shrugged to no one in particular and moved towards Hiccup and Toothless. "Alright, let's go then."

Hiccup's mouth fell slightly open. "You– you're coming with me? They're looking for you, it's a suicide mission if you come," he said with worry in his voice. He didn't want Fairfax to die because of a mess he had caused all by himself.

"If you're never going to rule Berk, there's not much hope for me left as an outcast so I might as well just be the best me and help you save your love," he said cheerfully as though it was no big deal at all, but it didn't stop Hiccup from feeling guilty once again.

It hit him – the only reason why Fairfax had stayed in Berk after his banishment was because Hiccup had promised he could have his position as a knight back. Now that wasn't possible. How many people's lives was he destined to ruin?

Hiccup was about to open his mouth to apologise, but Fairfax beat him to it by raising his hand and saying: "No hard feelings, I am still happy to help you. You're much better than Stoick ever was anyway."

The prince wanted to argue but didn't say anything. They could waste no more time chatting – if they wished to see Astrid in the Throne Room, they had to hurry. Hiccup didn't know what he would do once he got there. It was still difficult to form sensible thoughts in his mind due to the stress he was in.

The back door of Fishlegs' home creaked open and he stepped out, letting out a yelp when he looked to his right behind the broken cart. Sir Shipley had apparently stayed to listen to Hiccup and Fairfax's conversation, but in the prince's eyes that was a good thing; now the knight didn't stand a chance at warning the king beforehand as he didn't have a dragon on him.

Fishlegs was clearly contemplating whether he should act as though Hiccup and him weren't friends since Shipley was there, but eventually he decided against that and spoke just loud enough to be heard over the warning bells: "I heard what Sir Shipley told you, and I saw a patrol on their way to the stables. I think they're going there to ready their dragons to take Astrid to the sea."

They were running out of time. Hiccup needed to see Astrid in the Throne Room if he wanted to make sure Stoick hadn't changed his plan yet again. With him being so unpredictable, anything was possible. The trio exchanged looks and it seemed as though they all were thinking along the same lines; they needed to hurry. Without saying a word, Hiccup reached out his arm so that Fairfax could hop behind him on Toothless. Stormfly seemed to realise what was going to happen as she was already flapping her wings, ready to take off without a rider.

The Night Fury spread out his wings and soon they were in the air. They remained as close to the ground as possible, for a black dragon against a bright sky drew too much attention, and since the warning bells still hadn't gone off, it was obvious that there would still be dragon riders in the sky looking for Fairfax. The journey to the castle took almost no time at all with Toothless, but Hiccup couldn't help feeling they were going slower than usual. None of them made any noise during the flight, hoping to remain unseen. Once they almost flew past a knight, but Toothless and Stormfly were quick to fly behind a building so when the knight took a second glance, he saw nothing. Sometimes they could hear the cries of the knights and guards, which was very useful as it helped the gang to locate them so their paths never crossed.

They left Toothless and Stormfly outside, hiding them among other dragons that were for whatever reason standing on the courtyard without any riders. The prince assumed they were about to be bathed but the action had been disturbed by Fairfax's unwelcome appearance.

The man tapped Hiccup on the shoulder to get his attention. He first pointed at Hiccup and then himself, then the main entrance to the castle and he had his eyebrows raised.

The prince nodded. That was the only way to enter the Throne Room – the old documents from when the castle was built stated that they wanted the most important places of the castle to be accessible only from one direction so they were easily defendable.

There was a split second of hesitation on Fairfax's face until he nodded and replaced the look with determination. They quickly scanned their surroundings before ascending the massive stairs that led into the castle.

They hid behind a corner, pressing themselves against the stone wall and they listened. Next to them there were stairs that led to the second floor, and Hiccup knew that the top of the stairs wasn't guarded, especially now that the majority of their guards were searching for the man next to him. Right on the other side of the wall there was the entrance to the Throne Room. It was so silent that it was impossible to tell whether there was anybody inside, neither did he know if he would have to fight off the guards standing in front of the door as he had no idea whether there was anybody awaiting them.

"What's the plan?" Fairfax asked so quietly that Hiccup almost didn't catch it.

"I'm going to talk to my father."

"Okay, and if that doesn't work?"

The prince didn't answer immediately. "I will figure something out as I go."

The former knight nodded and moved slightly so he could see the corridor. Hiccup turned his attention back to the staircase and an idea dawned upon him.

"I don't think it's wise for you to come to the Throne Room with me," he whispered to Fairfax.

The man turned his head towards the prince. "Why so?"

"They will kill you right on the spot."

"But I want to help you."

"And I don't want to see dead Fairfax. I think you should go upstairs, remember the loft that overlooks the Throne Room?"

Fairfax nodded slowly as he recalled the place in his mind. "You want me to go there?"

"It's much safer for you. Your life shouldn't rely on my mistakes. And if something happens to me in there…" Hiccup's voice trailed off.

Fairfax placed his hand on the prince's shoulder and patted it silently. "Don't worry, I will go after her if you can't."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hiccup smiled at him. "Thank you. You're a great friend, Fairfax." The former knight tried to offer Sir Shipley's sword to him, but he pushed it away with his hand. "Keep it. I don't believe the king will take me seriously if I try to talk to him about peace when I felt the need to arm myself to step in front of him."

After a moment of hesitation, Fairfax nodded again. Without saying another word, he sprinted up the stairs as quickly and silently as possible. Hiccup waited until he was out of sight before he took a few steps towards the edge of the corner and peeked. He was both relieved and worried to not see any guard standing there. Relieved because he didn't have to face them unarmed, worried because it could mean they had wasted too much time getting here and Astrid was already gone.

He walked up to the sturdy door and took a deep breath. He was ready to face anything that was coming for him behind that door. He would do anything for Astrid. With that decision in mind, he placed his hand on the handle and entered the Throne Room.

He kept his eyes on the stone floor as he walked inside. He didn't know why it was so hard for him to look up, but he did know he was scared to see the condition Astrid might be in. At first the room was filled with pressing silence, then some people in the room began whispering to one another. Then there was Stoick's voice, as unfriendly and cold as ever.

"What in the name of Thor are you doing here?"

Hiccup knew he had to look up, so he did. His father was standing in front of his throne, and just a few feet from him there was Astrid on her knees on the floor, her head on her thighs. Her hands were tied behind her back and even from distance the prince saw her body shaking in uneven patterns. She was crying. Hiccup wanted to scream out of anger.

He, however, got himself together and took another deep breath. He shouldn't lose his temper, especially now since he had no idea how mad Stoick was at him.

"I've come here to talk to you," Hiccup said as calmly as possible. His voice made Astrid stop crying and she raised her head to look behind. The prince instantly noticed the blood on her face, it was spread everywhere because of the tears so he couldn't tell where it had come from. He just hoped it wasn't his father's doing. The sight disgusted him and he wanted to scream even more, but he needed to be calm to have any chance to pull this off. "Whatever you're planning to do with Princess Astrid, I'm asking you to reconsider it. Violence isn't an answer, death even less so. You're only creating problems for Berk with your stubbornness."

"And why should I listen to you when you've not been listening to me?" There was a couple seconds' silence as Hiccup didn't know what to answer, but it was broken by the king himself. "How did you even get out of the cells? Are you responsible for the warning bell? Did Fairfax help you escape?"

Hiccup had to fight the urge to look up to see if Fairfax had already made it to the loft. If he turned around now, it would draw too much attention as everyone's eyes were on him. "How could he when you banished him months ago? I don't know what triggered the warning bell, but it was a very helpful distractor when getting out."

"So after committing treason, you break out of the cells and disobey me even more? And you've come to talk to me, hoping that I would hear you out? Has the presence of this girl really corrupted your brain so much that you cannot think reasonably?"

"Reasonably?" Hiccup repeated. "I'm the one out of us that is thinking reasonably here. You're only thinking with your pride. I cannot just sit in the cells and wait for you to kill an innocent person. Astrid's done absolutely nothing to you, why should she die for something she has been no part of? It's not her fault that our kingdoms hate each other. Briral doesn't have to be an enemy, we could end this grudge and live in peace! A change is possible, Princess Astrid and I are the perfect example of that. Can you imagine how peace would change a lot of people's lives? If you'd just–"

"ENOUGH!" Stoick bellowed. He instantly let out a hiss of pain and he clutched his chest, after which he lowered his voice to a normal level. "I will not hear any of this nonsense anymore. First you befriend an enemy and fall in love with her, then you disobey me by breaking out of the cell, and now you're publicly disagreeing with me. How much more shame are you planning to bring upon me? I obviously cannot fulfil your wishes when you've so greatly offended me."

"The only thing that is being offended by this is your people because of your disinterest in their safety," Astrid said and Hiccup looked down at her in surprise. He hadn't expected her to speak like that in front of Stoick, but the anger in her voice made it evident that she was very mad at him.

Stoick hadn't clearly expected her to do that either, but her words made the king look like he had swallowed a very sour lemon. He took a couple steps towards the princess. Hiccup's breath got stuck in his throat as he watched his father approach Astrid. He wanted to jump in between them to stop whatever was going to happen, but before he could do anything, the king was already speaking. "How dare you speak out of turn in this kingdom? Didn't your father teach you any manners?" His voice was low and threatening, and it made the guards around Astrid look nervously at each other. He had bored his eyes into Astrid's, but he suddenly broke the eye contact and looked at the guards. "You know what to do," he told them and turned his back on the princess.

The guards seized Astrid immediately and forced her to stand up. She tried to get out of their grip only for a couple seconds until she realised it was no use and she let them seize her.

"No, Father, please, you can't do this!" Hiccup pleaded. "She's done nothing wrong!"

"I can and I will. I am the king and my word is the law."

"A true king shouldn't have to tell anybody he is the king!" the prince shouted before he could stop himself. He instantly realised he had gone a step too far, and now his father was going to explode.

He was right. Stoick didn't dare to yell because it caused his chest to ache, but Hiccup would've rather heard him yell at him than had him speak in that same low and threatening voice he only used for Berk's enemies. His expression was hard as stone as he spoke: "So you've picked your side? You've chosen to ally with her and turn against me? If that's so, then I must give you the same fate as I did to her."

Hiccup knew that could only mean one thing. His king really was going to let him die. Thinking about it earlier didn't make it seem so unlikely, but hearing Stoick confirm it to him made him realise he had never truly expected it to happen. Deep down he had always believed that his king would see reason and forgive him, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"Can– can't you stop acting like my king and show me some mercy like my father would?" the prince asked, his voice trembling slightly. He wasn't going to die like this. Not in Stoick's hands.

"I can't possibly show you any mercy when you're not showing any remorse for your actions against the law I have written for you to follow. Disrespect the law and you disrespect me. Seize him," Stoick said coldly. He coughed which was followed by a hiss of pain, but somehow he managed to maintain that stony look in his eyes that darkened the entire atmosphere in the Throne Room.

Hiccup didn't even try to get away from the guards. He let them grab him by both his arms. He allowed himself to have a quick glance at Astrid, who was being walked out of the room by three guards, two of which were forcefully thrusting her forward meanwhile the third one was pointing a spread at the princess. The prince turned to look at the king and their eyes met, both reflecting the same coldness. Hiccup felt nothing, it was as though his mind had been numbed by Stoick's words. He felt calm and doubtless.

"Fine," he began, surprised by how confident he sounded. "Do whatever you want with me, throw me in the dungeons, hang me and feed me to the dragons, I don't care. I know I have broken law and I am ready to take full responsibility of my actions. But just know this – even though I willingly let you take my life for this, think about the rest of the Berkians. What will they think when they find out that their king has executed his only son, the only rightful heir to the throne? How will your people feel after you've made Berk's future unsecure only because you don't want to change your view on the world? What will you gain from this? If you think that it will uphold your pride, I can guarantee you that nobody else will see it that way; what people will see instead is a cruel and heartless act, and Berk will be seen as an easy target since its future has been lost. You're so blinded by hatred that you're not seeing the hole you're diving this kingdom into."

It was suddenly quiet in the Throne Room. The prince held his breath. He looked behind him and was surprised to see the three guards and Astrid still standing there. The guards were staring at him, and Astrid's facial expression was the only thing radiating warmth in the room. She was smiling broadly and proudly at him, and if his father hadn't just sentenced him to death, he would've smiled right back at her. He looked up to see Fairfax giving him a thumbs up from the loft, but after that he disappeared out of sight.

Stoick considered Hiccup's words for a very short while before turning his back on him and raising his hand as a signal for the guards to keep going. The ones responsible for Astrid seemed to have woken up from some trance as they ran out of the Throne Room, the princess cussing at them for not giving her a bit of a warning. Hiccup wanted the guards around him to hurry up so he'd see where they were taking Astrid, but that was probably the very reason why they proceeded slowly.

He heard running footsteps echo around the corridors. The feeling of hopelessness made him think back to the first moments he ever shared with Astrid. Many things had changed since then, and he was both happy and angry that those changes had happened. He was incredibly happy to have met someone as amazing as Astrid, but on the other hand he was mad at himself for letting him fall in love with her and putting her in danger because of his desperate needs to be with her. Why had he become so careless? Even Fishlegs had told him that people were suspecting that something was up, so why hadn't he reacted to that and stopped meeting Astrid?

They walked out of the castle, and there were many Berkians gathered around the courtyard. All those people seemed to understand what had happened in the Throne Room, and they looked horrified. Some were whispering to each other, some were just gaping at the prince. The warning bell had gone off, and if Hiccup had been in his right mind, he would've been worrying that they had captured Fairfax, but he didn't really register the absence of the sound of that bell.

The Berkians got out of the way as the guards and Hiccup walked past them. No one bowed down to the prince but he couldn't care less, his mind was so focused on everything he should've and shouldn't have done that nothing else mattered to him.

That was until he heard a familiar roar somewhere up ahead. He instantly came back to his senses and looked around for the sight of Toothless. The guards had stopped and were searching for the Night Fury, too. It took but a couple of seconds for the dragon to appear behind the mass of people. Toothless jumped in front of the guards and let out another roar, and Hiccup could feel the guards' grip become looser around his arms. He saw his chance to get away.

The prince kicked both guards who lost their balance and stood back, letting go of Hiccup. He ran to Toothless, adjusting his prosthetic leg for flying as he rushed towards him, and hopped on the dragon. He barely sat down before the Night Fury spread his wings and flew off.

"Thanks, bud," Hiccup said gratefully to his dragon. "You might've just saved my neck."

Toothless let out a growl that the prince knew to mean 'no problem'.

They didn't fly for long until the dragon landed, much to Hiccup's surprise. When his paws hit the ground, he realised why they had gone back to the land. Fairfax was there with Stormfly. They were hiding behind the blacksmith's building – there were so many barrels and piles of unfinished iron armour pieces that they were easily concealed behind them.

"I was spying on them," Fairfax explained before the prince could even open his mouth. "When I realised what was going to happen, I left the loft so I could leave Toothless to take care of you so that I could spy on the guards and Astrid. Their plan hasn't changed, they're headed towards the sea as we speak."

"When did they leave?" Hiccup asked, looking up at the sky. He could see nobody there.

"It was some time ago. They were in a rush to leave and it took you a lot of time to get out of the castle. I think they have a 10-minute head start," the former knight replied. "Toothless is fast though, so we will catch up on them in no time."

Hiccup felt a bit of hope in his chest. Perhaps he hadn't lost Astrid after all? If they just flew faster than the knights of the patrol, they might catch them after a few miles…

"Come," the prince said and gestured the spot behind his back. Fairfax took a few steps towards them and got on the back of the Night Fury. He offered Sir Shipley's sword to Hiccup so he could place it in his scabbard. He then bent down slightly to whisper to Toothless: "Let's save her."

When the two dragons and the two dragon riders were in the sky flying over Berk, they heard some knights and guards shout Hiccup's name, but that didn't matter – there was no way they could overfly them unless they already had their dragons equipped for flying.

He didn't know what would happen to him now. He didn't know if Stoick had already banished him, and he didn't know if going back to Berk after this was going to cost him his life, but those things didn't matter either. The only thing he cared about was that he could save Astrid so she could return to Briral alive. Other things he could deal with later.

* * *

**The end is near aaaaaaaaaa**  
**I want to say something more but I'm so tired that my brain won't let me think aaaaaaaaa**

**I love you all :')**


	25. The Death Song

**CHSHiccstrid:** After this chapter, there's only two more left! So 27 in total.

**WARNING: In this chapter, someone dies! If you don't want to read such stuff, I've put a VERY brief summary at the end of this chapter!**

* * *

The freezing cold breeze brushed against Hiccup's bare cheeks and they felt numb by the second. He had lost his helmet when they were captured the previous night, and this morning reminded him of why he had added it to his suit in the first place.

Neither he nor Fairfax had spoken a word during the flight. They listened for sounds whose source could be the knights, their dragons or Astrid, but so far they had heard nothing. Hiccup grew more and more despondent – Toothless was faster than any other dragon in Berk so he had expected to catch them in no time, but it had begun to look as though they had gotten a two-day head start instead of that of 10 minutes. They should've heard something by now, was the thing.

"Are you sure they were headed in this direction?" Hiccup asked, breaking the long-lived silence between them.

"Positive," Fairfax replied behind him. "They were two knights on two dragons with Astrid sitting behind one of them. I suppose they're flying as fast as they can because the way to the sea is long. They want to be back home for dinner, you see."

"For dinner?" Hiccup repeated, bemused by the man's choice of words.

"The maidens in the royal kitchen always prepared us knights and guards some heavenly stew every night. It was the highlight of the day, nobody wanted to miss it. Didn't you know?"

"No," he said blankly. He thought about it for a moment before adding: "That kind of explains why it's always been so easy to sneak out to fly with Toothless at night."

Now was Fairfax's turn to be surprised: "You've been sneaking out with your dragon?"

"For about five years. Glad to hear it's gone unnoticed until now. Though I guess it would have been for the best if I had been caught ages ago, so we wouldn't be in this situation."

"What do you mean?"

"I wouldn't have met Astrid in the woods, she wouldn't have come to Berk to talk to me, I wouldn't have had the self-confidence to help her escape and fly her back to Briral and I wouldn't have fallen in love with her. You would still be the knight of Berk. I would still have my right to the throne."

"But you would still hate her and Briral. Your reign would just be another pointless 30 years of wars and blood. Nobody would want that."

Hiccup just shrugged. He didn't know what to say, for Fairfax's words were true, but they didn't help make Hiccup feel much better about the situation. He still felt just as guilty about putting people in danger and causing their banishment, but he didn't want to belittle his friend's attempt to lift up his mood.

"Thank you for still having my back despite everything," Hiccup finally said.

Fairfax gave him a reply that got drowned in the wind. Hiccup was about to ask him to repeat, but when he opened his mouth, Toothless grew restless and glared at something ahead of them. Stormfly that had been flying behind them all this time also saw the same thing as she glided next to them and couldn't tear her eyes off it. Hiccup squinted his eyes, hoping to see better, and when he realised that the patrol was flying in front of them, his heart stopped beating. He felt light-headed as the adrenaline began to bump into his veins again. They were only a couple hundred feet from Astrid.

He looked over his shoulder to see whether Fairfax had noticed them, too. The man's eyes had widened slightly and when they exchanged looks, Fairfax nodded. "How should we free the princess?" he asked, almost shouting but keeping it toned down, afraid that the knights could hear him if he spoke too loudly.

"We will have to see how they come around. Whatever it takes, she needs to be freed," Hiccup replied determinedly.

The look Fairfax gave him made it clear he had understood and was ready to follow the plan. They fell into a pressing silence as they approached the patrol. Both Toothless and Stormfly seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, as neither of them made any additional sounds apart from the gentle flapping of wings.

Hiccup didn't dare to blink in case he missed something. The cold air was beginning to dry and hurt his eyes, but that was the least of his worries right now. They had to succeed.

Just like Fairfax had mentioned, Astrid was sitting on the back of one of the dragons. She sat with her back against the knight's – it was a way to keep a prisoner unaware of where they were going. When she noticed Hiccup, Fairfax and the dragons, she quickly looked to her side where the other knight was flying with his dragon and turned to look at Hiccup. She mouthed something that looked very much like 'go away', but he pretended he didn't see it. Even in the distance he saw her bloody face and the need to scream out of anger returned to him.

When it became clear to Astrid that they weren't going to go anywhere, she acted quickly. She lifted her other leg to the other side, careful not to lean too much against the knight to not draw his attention. Even though her hands were tied up behind her back, her movements were smooth and effortless as if her hands were an irrelevant body part to her. She tried not to move her upper body at all so that the knight wouldn't realise she had changed her position. It looked very uncomfortable to Hiccup, and he wasn't sure what Astrid was planning to do. Was she going to jump? They were so high up in the air that if they didn't catch her, she would surely fall to her death.

Astrid looked down, then at Hiccup as though she had just read his mind and she wanted to confirm his thoughts. Hiccup nodded to let her know he had understood her plan.

Then she waited until they were close enough. She glanced at the unsuspecting knights one last time before sliding off the back of the dragon and shouting "Stormfly!"

The knights were taken aback by the appearance of her voice. For a couple seconds they didn't seem to understand what just happened, but they only needed to look at the falling Astrid and the dragon that was soaring closer and closer to her to realise they just lost their prisoner. Both knights commanded their dragons to shoot fire at Astrid, which was when Hiccup and Fairfax needed to act.

"Toothless! Now!" Hiccup cried and a plasma blast was shot out of the Night Fury's mouth.

Toothless didn't aim it at the knights or the dragons, instead it hit the nearby tree, creating an explosion right next to the patrol. That took the two dragons off guard and they were unable to aim at Astrid. One of the knights lost his balance and he fell. There were trees underneath them now, so instead of falling straight to the ground, he hit the tip of a massive pine tree. The other guard frantically looked between Astrid, Hiccup and Fairfax, unable to decide what to do next.

"Go!" Hiccup shouted at the knight. "You're outnumbered, it's not worth it!"

The knight didn't listen to him; he told his dragon to fire at them, but Toothless was faster. The Night Fury shot yet another plasma blast, and this time he aimed it at the knight and the dragon. It wasn't a powerful one, but it was strong enough for the knight to fall off his dragon. Without riders, the two dragons didn't even want to put up a fight, so they flew away, leaving the knights on their own.

Hiccup looked down and his heart sank. Astrid was having difficulties staying on Stormfly without her hands for support. She was holding onto Stormfly with her legs curled around the dragon's neck and she was about to fall. Stormfly was panicking and trying to help her, but she was making things worse because she was moving too much. There were no trees below them so if Astrid fell, she would die. They needed to act fast.

"Toothless, let's fly to Astrid!" he shouted at the dragon, and in the blink of an eye, the Night Fury was soaring down towards her.

When they were next to them, Hiccup stood up on Toothless and hopped on Stormfly's back. The Deadly Nadder was too focused on her human to realise that she was now carrying two riders.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried out. She sounded tired. Hiccup assumed she was losing strength from her legs and it was only a matter of time she would fall.

"Hang on!"

He quickly sat down on Stormfly, right behind Astrid. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her properly on her dragon's back. He let her lean onto her for a moment to catch her breath.

"You came," she said in between her heavy and tired breaths.

"Of course I did," Hiccup replied, relieved to see her mostly unharmed. He gently pushed her upper body forward so he could untie the rope around her hands.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she confessed as Hiccup opened the knots.

The rope was quickly untied and Hiccup threw it away. "I feared the same, but at least–"

Astrid had turned around and clashed their lips together. Hiccup wrapped his arms around her to make sure she wouldn't fall and kissed her back. It was passionate, both desperate to let the other one know how happy they were to be in each other's arms again. Hiccup breathed in her familiar scent, only now realising how much he had missed it. How much he would've missed it if things had gone differently.

They both were sent back to reality when Stormfly landed on the ground and they nearly lost their balance because of it. Hiccup slid off the Deadly Nadder, followed by Astrid whose feet barely touched the ground before Hiccup pulled her into a crushing hug. She pressed her head against his chest and they stood like that for a long while.

When they eventually broke the hug, Hiccup could finally see Astrid's face better. There were fresh tears on her cheeks that along with the blood made her face look so…defeated and worn out. "Who did this to you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice soft but failing at it.

He found the hem of his shirt underneath the armour and tore it. With the shred of the shirt, he started cleaning the blood off Astrid's face with gentle movements.

"It was one of the guards or knights, I'm not sure. I refused to speak when your father was trying to get information out of me, so one of them made a few cuts on my face with a sword so I would talk, but I didn't. It was such a stressful situation, the guards and knights kept on kicking me while your father talked to me, and I was so worried about you, too because I had no idea what was going to happen to you. It was all too much so I just sort of broke into tears, and that's when you entered. You have no idea how good it felt to see you alive."

"Kicking you?!" Hiccup repeated. "Made cuts on your face?!" He felt anger wash over his body; the worst part was he didn't know whether he should've been angry at himself or his father. He knew he was the reason Astrid had been treated so harshly, but it was so unlike Stoick to go that far. "I am so utterly sorry you had to go through that. My father has never been like this before, he doesn't usually use so much force to make people talk, if I had had the slightest idea what was going to happen to you–"

"Shh," Astrid shushed gently and pressed two of her fingers against Hiccup's mouth. "Not your fault, you cannot control his actions. Don't even start blaming yourself."

Hiccup sighed and moved the piece of cloth on her forehead. "That still doesn't stop me from feeling bad. But you were worried about me? You were the one who was in grave danger, Astrid. I should've been the last thing on your mind."

"Don't be silly. I will never stop worrying about you," she said.

Hiccup was silent for a few heartbeats before he replied in a whisper: "Neither will I about you. I guess it's the curse for being in love with somebody."

Astrid grabbed his wrist and removed his hand from her face. She took the bloody cloth and tossed it to the ground and intertwined both their hands.

"I love you," she said quietly.

Hearing that made Hiccup's heart race. "I love you too, Astrid. With everything I have."

"Romance, I love it," Fairfax's voice sounded behind them. They looked up to see the man leaning against a lonely pine tree, his grin so big it almost reached his ears. "Makes everything worthwhile, doesn't it?"

Hiccup shook his head amusedly. "That's Fairfax. He has helped us both a great deal."

Astrid smiled at the man. "Thank you, Fairfax. You were the one that helped me escape from Berk the first time around."

"Yep," Fairfax replied cheerfully with a popping P. "I've always trusted your Hiccup's judgement more than Stoick's, so helping you was a pleasure."

That made Astrid turn her attention back to Hiccup. "Hiccup, you were so brave for talking to your father like that in the Throne Room," she said proudly. "Did you notice how everybody stopped to listen to you? Even when you were on your father's bad side, your words had an impact on your people! That's brilliant!"

Hiccup looked down at their intertwined hands, then he looked up and smiled sadly at Astrid. It was relieving to have Astrid safe, for that was the only thing that had mattered to him. However, now that he no longer had to fear for her life, the mere mention of Stoick was enough to darken his thoughts by the freshest memory he had of his father; the look that he had given him and the words he had said to him and the way they had been spoken out. Now his head had too much time to dwell on everything that could've been done differently.

"Too bad it's not any use, considering that I am no longer welcome at Berk," he replied and watched Astrid's smile fade away with his words.

"I've been thinking about that," Fairfax said and left the tree and walked up to them. "When you saw me leave the loft, did the king ever tell you exactly what was going to happen to you?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, he only said I was to have the same fate as Astrid."

"When I was banished – seriously, Hiccup, don't apologise again, I told you it's fine – I had to go to the Throne Room only because I needed to hear what my punishment was. Otherwise it wasn't valid because I couldn't act accordingly if I didn't know what it was. He never directly told you what Astrid's sentence was, so therefore yours isn't valid either."

Hiccup took in his words and his brain started working hysterically. "So that means…"

"That if you return to Berk, he can't do anything to you. At least yet," Fairfax confirmed.

"I need to go," Hiccup said immediately.

"Hiccup, no, please," Astrid pleaded. "Don't expect him to follow the rules he has written when you've broken so many of them."

"I have to try. If it doesn't work, at least I will know I've tried everything to change his mind."

"I'm just scared for you. If you die now, everything that's happened will be pointless. You and Fairfax could come and live in Briral, we have many abandoned huts that you could live in. Nobody would recognise you if you change your clothes," Astrid tried weakly.

"Berk is my home and kingdom, Astrid. I need to hang onto it with all I've got for as long as I can."

Astrid sighed. "I know, I know. Just…be careful."

Hiccup smiled. "I will. Fairfax, will you go with her or me? I don't think you can enter Berk without being seen, the walls are so heavily guarded."

The man thought about it before answering: "I think I will take Princess Astrid's offer. I'd love to come with you but as you said, there wouldn't be much hope for me to survive in Berk."

Hiccup nodded. Before he jumped on Toothless and left back for Berk, he pulled Astrid into another loving kiss. It could be their last one, but he refused to think like that. He needed to stay positive for his own sanity.

* * *

It was getting closer. Hiccup could already see the tips of the highest watch towers and flags that carried the crest of Berk on them waving in the wind. Hiccup took deep breaths in an attempt to calm his nerves. When he hadn't been this close to Berk, the idea of returning seemed sensible – great, even. Now, however, he was doubting whether this was a good idea after all.

Even though Berk's law was on his side, it didn't mean Stoick was going to follow it, just like Astrid had said. It was possible that he couldn't even reach the gates before he was shot down. Should he have stayed with Astrid and Fairfax? Did he make a mistake by coming here?

Perhaps, but Berk was his responsibility and he needed to do everything he could to ensure its future was secured. It didn't even matter whether he had made a mistake, because deep down he knew this was the right thing to do. He couldn't give up on his own kingdom.

Hiccup took another deep breath and let that brisk winter air into his lungs as if that was the last breath of fresh air for him. Whatever happened within the walls of Berk, he would be ready to face it.

Many things he hadn't expected to happen, happened.

Instead of entering through the gate, he flew over the wall. He was instantly recognised by the guards in the watch towers. What he hadn't expected to hear was relief in the guards' voices as they shouted 'Prince Hiccup is back!' to the ones standing guard on the ground. He also hadn't expected everyone to plead him to come down. Every single person below him was looking desperate, which caused alarms to go off in Hiccup's mind. What was going on?HHe

He and Toothless landed on the snowy ground and they were immediately surrounded by Berkians. At first Hiccup thought that he had fallen into a trap and they were about to capture him, but once he saw the sorrow and fear in their eyes, the worry returned to his body.

"My Lord," Sir Shipley breathed out as he rushed towards Hiccup. "It's the king. He has fallen seriously ill and there's nothing that can be done to save him."

Hiccup's insides turned solid ice. For a moment he just stared at the knight disbelievingly. When his brain finally registered what that meant, he rushed to the castle as fast as he could, accidentally pushing some inattentive villagers that were standing in his way.

He didn't know what to feel, think or say. He felt as though he had forgotten how to be a person. His mind kept repeating Sir Shipley's words, and each time they felt sharper and sharper, making his entire being ache and panic rush over him.

Once he was inside the castle, he ran two floors up and sprinted into the corridor where the king's chambers were. He was beginning to be breathless but he didn't care. His only goal was to get to his father right this second and there was nothing that could stop him. When he finally saw the chamber doors, he saw Gobber standing in front of them, looking grave and grey.

"Where's my father? What's happened?" Hiccup asked when he was close enough so he didn't have to shout. "I want to see him now!"

"You can't go in there. Gothi's taking care of him," Gobber replied sadly.

"What happened?" he repeated.

"Five minutes after you left the Throne Room he just collapsed to the ground, shaking in pain. Remember that arrow that pierced through his chest? Gothi was able to remove most of it, but the arrow got broken in the process and the sharp tip of it was left next to his heart. It has been moving around in his chest, and now it's apparently stuck in his heart. There's no telling how long he will live, but Gothi thinks it's just a matter of days now."

Hiccup's mind had become blank. He didn't want to believe Gobber, he wanted to tell him he was lying and his father was just resting behind those doors, that there was no way Stoick was about to die. He felt sharp pain in his knees. Without realising it, his legs had failed him and he was on his knees.

"No," he said. "No."

The door was opened and Gothi came out of the room. Hiccup had never seen her look so sad and hopeless and he was already fearing the worst, but then she gestured towards the door as an invitation for him and Gobber to enter. Hiccup stood up and rushed into the room.

Stoick laid on his bed, looking weak and vulnerable. Seeing him like this scared Hiccup. His father was always so strong!

"Father," he said, his voice failing him completely. He walked next to the king's bed and sat down on the chair next to it.

"Hiccup," Stoick said, looking at his son with a pained expression. "You came back."

"I did," Hiccup replied in the most fragile voice he had ever used.

"Where were you?"

Hiccup hesitated for a moment until he decided that now was not the time for lies, so he told him everything that had happened. When he spoke, his voice was just a mere whisper; the only way he could speak without his voice breaking.

"You saved Princess Astrid?" Stoick asked, after which he let out a silent grunt of pain.

"Yes, I love her," Hiccup replied, not sure if it was wise of him to be so straightforward with his answers, especially when he knew his father didn't like them.

He looked up to see Gobber standing at the end of the bed, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Not knowing what he was thinking made Hiccup a bit uncomfortable, but his thoughts were snapped back to his father when he inhaled sharply and started coughing. When Hiccup looked at him, he was mortified to see he was coughing up blood. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't tear his eyes off his father's pale face and bloody mouth.

Somebody grabbed Hiccup by his arm and helped him stand up. He just stared at his father with a panicked look, not registering anything that was happening around him. Only when he was outside of the room and he could no longer see Stoick he realised that Gobber had walked him out. The door was still open, and he saw Gothi putting some potions and herbs on the bedside table in a great rush.

Gobber closed the door. Hiccup turned to look at him, suddenly furious about the fact he couldn't be by his father's side. However, it was the questioning and curious look on Gobber's face that made him not snap at him.

"So, a whole lot is going to change now?" he asked carefully and in a quiet voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're going to change many things in Berk now, aren't you?"

"I don't have the right to the throne anymore," Hiccup stated and looked out the window. If his father didn't make it, Berk would be in terrible danger as there was nobody to take the lead.

"You do. He didn't have time to dethrone you before everything happened."

Hiccup turned his head so fast he felt a bit dizzy afterwards. He looked at Gobber, trying to find something on his face that told him he was just messing around. On the other hand, however, if it all had happened in such a short time span, perhaps he was speaking the truth.

He didn't know what to say. Nothing felt appropriate. He felt selfish for letting his mind wander away from his father. He was about to die for heaven's sake, now was not the time to think about Berk's future!

"I don't know how much will change. Most Berkians probably think I've gone mad, so I don't think I will have their support."

"You will. What you said to Stoick in the Throne Room has spread around the kingdom and everyone is hopeful for our future. No one's ever liked the grudge between Berk and Briral," Gobber said.

"Really?" Hiccup asked. He felt surprised, but it couldn't be heard in his voice.

"Really. I always tried to talk some sense into Stoick's head, but I suppose that when he took everything his parents told him as truth, it was impossible to change his mind. You've brought Berkians new hope, and we all believe you'll be a great king."

Hearing that made him anxious and he wanted to get out of the conversation. "Stop talking about my father like he's already dead!" he said harshly and walked to the other side of the large corridor. "He might still survive."

* * *

The next two days were the slowest Hiccup had ever had to live through. He had spent most of the time by Stoick's side, watching how the life force was leaving him day by day.

He was miserable. Soon he would be King and he wasn't ready for that. He wasn't ready to be parentless at the age of 20. He wasn't supposed to have to face this moment until he was in his mid 30s.

What made things worse was the way people were acting. Everybody was wearing black clothes and at night they brought candles to the courtyard and the villagers sang the same song of grievance three times a night before retreating to their homes. The song that was only sung when someone had died. Everyone was acting as though Stoick was already dead, and that made Hiccup feel sick. He knew the Berkians didn't mean anything bad by that, but he wished they'd stop doing it.

When Hiccup visited his father in the afternoon that day, he was greeted by a very weak-looking man that was hidden in the bed covers. Ever since last morning Stoick had mostly been asleep and he had stayed awake only for a couple minutes at a time. Every time he woke up, it looked as though he was in even more pain than before, and there was nothing Hiccup wanted more than to take all of that pain so his father could be free of it.

The king was awake now, and when Hiccup sat down next to the bed, the first thing he said was: "After I'm gone, make sure Briral will suffer for this." His voice was barely a whisper, and if there had been any additional noises in the room, Hiccup wouldn't have caught it.

Hiccup hesitated. He wanted to say 'yes' to give Stoick some peace of mind, but he didn't want to lie.

"No, Father," he said softly, his voice cracking a bit. The king moved his eyes so he was now looking at his son. His expression hadn't changed but Hiccup knew he didn't like to hear that. "That's not me anymore."

His father let out a grunt. He was too weak to say anything, but Hiccup assumed he wanted him to go on, so he did: "All my life people have been telling me to think of Berk I want to rule with pride, and I finally know my Berk isn't built around hate, animosity and violence. I want our people to be safe, and war isn't a way to achieve that."

Stoick didn't say anything for a while. His face was hard and motionless as stone, and for a moment Hiccup thought he had lost him, but then he said: "So you will change everything?"

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief upon finding out he was still alive. "Yes," he answered truthfully.

There was another silence. Hiccup could feel tears forcing their way out of his eyes. Stoick slowly moved his head on the pillow to look at his son, and he smiled at him. It looked very painful but genuine.

"Good. That already makes you a better king than I ever was."

And with that, the king of Berk was gone.

* * *

**Sad :( at least Hiccup knows that Stoick finally approved of the changes that are about to come.**  
**What changes will happen?**  
**That you will find out in the next chapter!**  
**TWO MORE TO GO OMG I'M NOT FINE.**

**I love you all :3**

**Summary: Hiccup & Astrid survive, Hiccup returns to Berk hoping to change Stoick's mind. Stoick has fallen sick and dies.**


	26. A Ruler With a Heart

**To those asking if I've something planned after this story:** yes I do! I have several things in the works now, and depending on which one is the readiest when I am done with this story, I will start writing that one :) It's all Hiccstrid of course ;)

**Join me on the rollercoaster that is this chapter! :D I hope you like it.**

* * *

Hiccup wasn't given time to mourn over Stoick's death. Right after the burial, which took place the day after his father died, he was crowned as the king of Berk. After that, his life had been like a ride on an untamed dragon that never rested. He barely had time for himself in between his new duties, and meanwhile it was tiring to run around from his first waking hour till the moment he collapsed on his bed at night, he was glad to have distractions that stopped him from thinking about Stoick and blaming himself for the fact that he had lowered Berk's defences and therefore caused his father's slow but painful death.

He was starting to get used to being a king, but there was absolutely nothing that could have prepared him for everything that came with his new title. During his first morning as a king Gobber had already introduced him to all of Berk's allies. Well, the paper versions of them to be exact – he had been told he would have to invite the kings and queens of all those kingdoms for a visit in the coming weeks, separately. Although Hiccup knew every single one of them very well and so did they, it was apparently a custom that was strictly followed when a new king sat on a kingdom's throne. That conversation had taken place before breakfast, and after Hiccup had hurriedly finished his food on the tray, he had to join Gobber in the Great Hall for a task that was so huge Hiccup wasn't going to be surprised if they were done with it when he finally grew a beard.

They had to go through every single rule and law that Stoick had ever written and change them if Hiccup thought it necessary. The advisor had told him this was the first time it needed to be done because this was the first time the prince and the king's opinions differed so much, which was just fantastic to hear. At first he thought it wouldn't be so bad, but that was before he sat down and had to actually think.

There were rules for literally everything, and it did tire his brain to have to think about how many litres of water each household could take from the wells every day so Berk didn't run out of its water supply. It sounded like an easy task, but when he realised how much of an impact it would have on Berkians' lives, it got complicated. He had spent half an hour on that, and it was one of the easiest rules written on the massive book that was open on the wooden table in the Great Hall.

"How about grain?" Gobber asked, his eyes concentrated on a page in the book.

It was their third day of going through the rules, and Hiccup had finally started to get the hang of how to proceed quickly but effectively.

"How much are they allowed to have now?"

Gobber scanned the page with his eyes and said: "They're allowed to pick up one sack a week."

Hiccup turned his head to the other side of the table. "What do you think, Fishlegs? Since you've been living among them, you must know if that's enough."

Fishlegs glanced at both of them and shifted his position on the chair nervously. It was his second day of being Hiccup's second advisor and he was still getting used to people valuing his opinion, so whenever Hiccup turned to him, a clear surprise was written on his face and he grew nervous.

He thought about his answer for a good while, not wanting to mess anything up. "I don't recall anybody complaining about lack of food at least. They still have the marketplace where they can buy vegetables, so it's not only the grain they use," he then said, sounding quite certain with his answer.

Hiccup nodded slowly as he chewed on his friend's words. He didn't have time to say anything before Gobber spoke.

"Yes, it is certainly enough for them," he began, looking up from the massive book and focused his attention on the new king. "But I'm afraid our grain supply will not last for long if we don't reduce the amount. If my calculations are correct, at this rate we will run out of grain in a year."

"What if instead of reducing the amount Berkians can take, we reduce the amount we're using it in the castle?" Hiccup suggested.

Gobber blinked. "Tha– that was an unexpected proposal. I am very delighted by what your heart's made of. However, that will not be enough in the long run. It will help the situation for a while – two months at most I believe – but eventually we will face a crisis unless something is done. I do have a solution for you."

"I'm listening," Hiccup said interested. Gobber had proven to be such a great and irreplaceable help during his first days as King of Berk, and so far he hadn't offered any bad ideas.

"You need to marry Princess Arleigh," Gobber said bluntly. "As soon as possible."

"Wha–"

"It is crucial for Berk. The union with the kingdom of Olissa will save us. I've speeded things up a little bit and sent an invitation to them two days ago. They should be here tomorrow."

"Excuse me, but why are you telling him about this only now?" Fishlegs questioned sharply. "He is your king in case you forgot, and he deserved to know before you did anything."

"It simply slipped my mind," Gobber replied as though it was nothing. "A lot has been going on lately, and the marriage is something that we need to get out of the way if the king wants to start ruling Berk properly, so I thought it was good that I sent the invitation now. It's been so long since I've been to a wedding!"

Hiccup blankly stared at Gobber, not knowing what to think. His mind had been so occupied by everything else that he had completely forgotten about the unavoidable future he would have with Princess Arleigh. He knew it had to be done – as a king, the only thing he was supposed to be interested in about marriage was the benefits it would grant for Berk. What he felt didn't matter.

When Hiccup finally found it in himself to give Gobber a weak nod, he turned to look at Fishlegs who was already looking at him with a sad and understanding smile but his features radiated the anger that had been present in his voice. Hiccup supposed he should've felt the same way, for Gobber had kept him in the dark about this, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry; he knew that Gobber was right and there was no point in throwing a tantrum over it.

It was the fact that he had let his mind forget about it that made it feel like he had been crushed under a massive dragon. He needed to clear his thoughts, and he felt the familiar desire to fly away, just like he did when his father had surprised him with the royal family of Olissa's visit some time ago. Now that he thought about it, he realised the only reason that visit had happened was because back then Stoick had already known he was going to die soon. He had suddenly given him a fair share of king's duties because he had wanted to prepare Hiccup for this moment. He had begun valuing Hiccup's opinion on important matters more because he had wanted his son to know what his life would be all about after his passing.

He felt guilty for not feeling prepared.

"Would you like to…uh…take a break from this book?" Gobber asked awkwardly.

Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts and was met by the old man's uneasiness as he had realised the sort of bomb he had just dropped on Hiccup.

"That would be great. Thank you," he replied and stood up from his chair. He left the Great Hall without saying another word – he just really wanted to get out of there to have some time to think.

He walked through the corridors, absent-mindedly greeting everyone that he heard say 'Your Highness' or 'My Lord', not paying attention to who they were. He wanted to reach his chambers as quickly as possible, for it was the only place where he wasn't going to be disturbed; now that Fishlegs wasn't his servant anymore, he had not given the position to anybody else. He had hated the feeling of not doing anything for himself as a prince and he doubted his mind was going to change much about the matter as a king, so he preferred to do things himself, at least for now.

When he entered his chambers, he walked to his desk and sat down on the chair. He leant forward to place his elbows on the desk and he buried his face in his hands. He felt trapped. His entire being was against proposing to Arleigh, but he knew there was no way out of it. Astrid was almost out of his reach now, and realising that made Hiccup's heart ache almost unbearably much.

He needed to be reasonable and act like a king. He had to push his feelings aside and think of what was best for his own kingdom. After all, Princess Arleigh had seemed like a person with a good heart and a mind of her own so sharing his life with her shouldn't be too bad. Many royal couples lived a happy life without learning to love each other, and that could be Hiccup's life, too, if he just stopped sulking over someone he had always known he would never have. He was only making things difficult for himself.

"How are you?" he suddenly heard a voice coming from somewhere in the room.

Hiccup slowly raised his head to meet Fishlegs that was standing in between the door and the bed. He sighed silently to himself – he should've realised that his friend would come after him. Both their titles might have changed, but that didn't affect their friendship.

"I've been better," Hiccup replied truthfully and turned around on his chair to look out of the window behind him. The courtyard had always looked very uninviting in the winter as everything was covered in snow and apart from the occasional passers-by, it was completely deserted. It didn't provide any shelter from the freezing wind, which was why people preferred to wander around in the marketplace or indoors.

"There must be something that can be done. You're not married yet, so you must be able to retreat from the marriage with Princess Arleigh," Fishlegs said with determination.

"Doing that would mean war between Berk and Olissa. Besides, even if it didn't, I still couldn't do it," Hiccup replied, silently hoping he didn't have to go through this conversation. He already felt bad without adding more salt to his wounds.

"Why?"

"Because the kingdom of Olissa will provide Berk with valuable resources. You heard what Gobber said, we need their help. Olissa is also located by the sea, so they have great connections overseas, which is something Berk needs. Olissa is too valuable for Berk for me to retreat from the marriage."

"But what about you?"

Hiccup turned to look at Fishlegs again, surprise written all over his face. "What about me?"

"You love Princess Astrid. That must count for something. You can't just let yourself break your heart like that," his friend said, moving towards the desk.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup said with a deep sigh. "What I feel for Astrid isn't relevant for Berk. Besides, Briral is like a copy of us, we wouldn't benefit anything from a union with them."

"But can't you see how well Berk is doing now on its own, without the connections that Olissa would bring? Berk has been invincible for centuries, and having Briral by our side would only strengthen us. Most importantly, it would strengthen you."

"I do appreciate your intentions. However, kingdoms aren't ruled with hearts, but with logic and sheer use of brain," Hiccup replied and lowered his gaze to the wooden desk, feeling very tired by this conversation. Why couldn't he just understand and drop the topic?

Hiccup hadn't expected Fishlegs to slam his fist on the table, but that happened. The new king's eyes widened, the feeling of tiredness all gone from them, and he looked up to see his friend looking at him in frustration. "Your father's kingdom wasn't ruled with a heart! Who's to say yours won't be? Berk is yours now, you don't need to follow the path your father has dusted for you! You've already made so many changes within the short time that you've been the king, and they're proof that you're so much different from your father. You can't be sure whether retreating from the marriage with Princess Arleigh will mean war, they might be understanding of the situation! We both know that you will be unhappy for the rest of your life if you don't follow what your heart is telling you!"

Silence.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup said quietly. "I know you mean well, but I would be risking too much. So many things can go wrong, and when the future of Berk rests on my shoulders, I can't take any risks. I've made too many mistakes when I've followed my heart and–" he paused to take a deep breath before he said even more quietly: "And I don't think I am brave enough to trust it again, not as the king."

His friend's features softened. He knew how many things Hiccup blamed himself for, the most sensitive one being Stoick's death. Hiccup just wished that Fishlegs would understand him and agree that it was for the best if he just went through the marriage with Princess Arleigh. He didn't want it, but if that meant that Berk's safety was ensured, he would gladly bear that burden. His friend standing there on the other side of his desk, telling him how unfair this all was surely didn't help him feel any better about the situation.

When Fishlegs spoke, he spoke slowly and chose his words carefully: "Perhaps it is time you stop blaming yourself for everything that has happened and see the bigger picture. You've lost some things on the way, but you've also gained a lot. You have all of Berk behind your back, no matter what decision you make eventually. I just hope you make the right one."

Before Hiccup could register everything his friend had said to him, he turned around and walked towards the chamber doors.

The bigger picture. What was that supposed to mean? How did all his mistakes have anything to do with the bigger picture? True, he had changed a lot during the past months, and he had changed his priorities when it came down to protecting the kingdom, and he no longer wanted war between Berk and Briral. But those things didn't make him blind to the things he had caused because of his own stupidity.

He sunk lower into his chair and closed his eyes. He needed to empty his mind of all thoughts before he could consider Fishlegs' words properly.

* * *

The next morning arrived. Although Hiccup hadn't had anything to do last night, he still felt it had been the night he had slept the worst. He had considered Fishlegs' words and his options.

Of course he had often teased himself with the idea of having Astrid as his queen instead of Arleigh, but he had never been serious about it because the entire thought seemed absurd and was only making him hurt more. He had long ago accepted that his future would be with the princess of Olissa and he had started to get along with that thought.

But there was something about Fishlegs bringing the possibility up that had made him bring those teasing thoughts back into his head. Like he needed another person to tell him that he had a chance to be with Astrid to have the courage to consider it again. However, there were too many things on the line.

If he retreated from the marriage, it could mean war. The documents about their union had been signed over ten years ago, and such agreements were not broken with a light heart. At the moment the kingdom of Olissa was just a piece of parchment to him – he didn't really know anything about it, neither did he know how the royal family was like. True, he had met them, but visits such as theirs were always so fake that the true nature of the people were always shadowed by the forced laughter and compliments that everybody said but didn't mean. He didn't have any idea what type of a reaction he would receive from the king and queen of Olissa.

If it didn't mean war, there was no telling whether things would go according to plan with Briral. Although Hiccup and Astrid loved each other, that didn't make Berk any less of an enemy to Briral. The king still hated Berk with a burning passion, and if Hiccup put the tip of his boot over Briral's borders, he could be shot. That would leave his kingdom without any ruler.

However, if he wasn't shot, he couldn't be sure that he would return to Berk with Astrid by his side. It was more possible that he would have to start his search for a new queen because he didn't think that the king of Briral was going to let Hiccup court his daughter just like that.

So as he had laid on his bed, thinking about how nothing about his second option could go right, he had grown more and more annoyed by his stupid brain – why did it have to think? Couldn't it just turn off for one damned day?

Fishlegs' words repeated in his mind.

_Your father's kingdom wasn't ruled with a heart! Who's to say yours won't be?_

"They should arrive shortly," Gobber said briskly, giving a quick glance at the sundial in the courtyard and then nodding as though the device had just confirmed his assumption. "I know I am not your father and I don't have the authority to tell you what to do, but I do advise you to remember proper mannerism."

Hiccup looked tiredly at the advisor and then gave him an equally tired nod. His brain always picked the worst times to keep him awake all night. He eyed the snow around the courtyard and wondered whether he could put some of it in his eyes to wake up. He couldn't give this day his best shot if he was going to look like he was on the verge of falling asleep all the time. Princess Arleigh would surely think her company was boring him, but that Hiccup didn't care much about. How he acted around her wasn't going to change anything.

"Just keep in mind," Gobber began, raising his index finger in the air. Hiccup tore his eyes off the snow. "That no matter what they may ask you, Berk has never seen better days and we are strong as ever."

Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows. "So even if they ask about our food supply, I have to lie and tell them we have enough food to feed seven armies?"

"You're a fast learner," the older man said pleased and patted Hiccup on the back, making the new king take a couple steps forward because of the force. "They mustn't think they're getting a bad deal."

If there was any hope for Hiccup to get his good mood back, it was now lost. The word 'deal' rang harshly in his ears and it took him all his willpower to not snap at Gobber. After all, he was right; it was nothing but a good deal that both kingdoms benefited from.

A guard from the watchtower blew into a horn that let them know that the royal family of Olissa was soon here. They exchanged a look and Gobber looked immensely delighted with himself for being right about the time of their arrival.

Fishlegs emerged from the castle and ran down the stairs to the courtyard as fast as he could, after which the three began walking towards the gate. On the way Hiccup spent his time observing the Berkians who seemed ever-so pleased to see their new king. Everybody smiled at him, and Hiccup was smiling and waving back at them because now he could do that.

The main reason why he was busying himself with the villagers was because he was avoiding Fishlegs' glare which he felt burning in the back of his head. He knew his friend wanted to know what he was going to do, but the truth was he didn't know the answer yet, and for some reason Hiccup felt it was for the best if his friend didn't know that yet.

* * *

When the royal family of Olissa finally arrived at the gate, it took Hiccup a couple seconds to realise that he was the host and responsible for their guests, and that meant he had to do all the talking. He rushed to the carriage door which a knight of Olissa opened, and Hiccup helped the king and the queen step down from the carriage. The first thing he noticed was that they all were wearing clothes that had much more decorating on them than the ones they wore during their last stay. The fact that the royal family of Olissa had found it fit to wear their best for this occasion made Hiccup way too aware of his nerves.

"Welcome back to Berk," Hiccup announced as ceremonially as he could. "Did you enjoy your journey here? It must have been a lot harder now when everything is covered in snow."

"We managed just fine, thank you," the king of Olissa responded and bowed down slightly. Hiccup returned the favour.

"We would like to offer our deepest condolences for the passing of Stoick the Vast," the queen of Olissa said sincerely and curtsied. "We could not believe our eyes when we received your letter so soon."

"Not that we do not appreciate it," the king was quick to correct his wife. "We are beyond pleased by the strength you have showed us. Many would have waited much longer."

Hiccup took a side glance at Gobber who had heard everything and was now looking slightly awkward, pretending not to notice Hiccup's stare. When he returned his attention back to the king and the queen of Olissa, he smiled at them as he spoke: "I like to surprise sometimes. Thank you for your condolences, that means very much to me. I hope you find your stay here pleasant."

Gods, was talking to other royals always going to be this hard? How did his father manage to pull it off so convincingly? Whatever Hiccup said, he felt like it didn't sound half as genuine. It wasn't that he didn't want the royals of Olissa here – last time he had quite enjoyed their company – but his nerves weren't doing him any favours.

Princess Arleigh appeared behind her parents and she was smiling so brightly that Hiccup was sure her face was going to split in half. She took a couple quick steps towards him and reached out the back of her hand. Hiccup quickly pressed his lips on it before looking back up and returning her smile.

"King Hiccup," she greeted him, just like she had done last time, except the title had been different.

"Princess Arleigh," he replied before he looked between the three and continued: "It is an honour to have you all here with me. Please, join me on the journey to the castle and let our maidens take you to your chambers."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the king of Olissa said.

Hiccup had to blink a few times at the way he had been addressed by the much older man. He was grateful that his confusion had gone unnoticed by everybody, or at least no one made a comment about it.

Behind them they left two guards of Berk to help the knights of Olissa with the carriage and the horses. On their way to the castle Hiccup barely heard any greetings from Berkians; a lot of them were outside, curious to see the visitors, but after seeing who they were, nobody dared utter out a word. Princess Arleigh, however, made sure the journey didn't have a single moment of silence – she had _a lot _to say. As Hiccup listened to her babble, he couldn't help wondering whether her over-the-top excitement was authentic. Arleigh surely hadn't forgotten that they both knew that neither of them wanted the marriage to happen, so there was no need for her to fake it unless she had been told to do so.

Hiccup truly hoped he could pretend as magnificently as she was. Well, if she was faking it, was the thing.

* * *

The royal family of Olissa had been staying for two days, and especially the king had started showing signs of impatience and dissatisfaction towards Hiccup, for he had not yet proposed to Princess Arleigh. They were leaving the next morning, so he had acted quickly and asked the princess to join him for a walk around the kingdom grounds. He avoided bigger crowds so they had as much privacy as possible.

Hiccup was feeling very nervous. It was clear that Arleigh felt tense, too. They both knew what was going to happen next and it was up for Hiccup to decide when he did it. He had the ring in the pocket of his shirt and it felt heavy and like it was on fire. He was very aware of the moments it touched his chest as they walked across the grounds.

He was hesitant. His mind was still undecided. There was no doubt in his mind that he would still enjoy his life with Princess Arleigh; she was a genuinely nice person and the past days she had proved to be just as great a company as she had been the previous time. His life wouldn't become miserable, that much was certain, but there was not going to be any love in it. Both their hearts belonged to somebody else, and that just felt so wrong to Hiccup. He knew that as a king he was expected to forget about feelings and focus on the future of his kingdom, but he couldn't do that.

As they walked past the deserted training grounds where Hiccup had spent a great amount of time practising to hold a sword, he wanted to know something. "How are things between you and the hunter?"

Princess Arleigh stared at him. She hadn't been prepared for such question and it had thrown her off guard. "What do you mean?" she asked, sounding a bit harsh.

"Just curious, is all," Hiccup replied innocently. "I was wondering if you still spend time with him." The look on the princess' face made Hiccup realise how that must've sounded like in her ears. "I don't mind it at all if you have. I just want to know how it is between you two."

Arleigh's features softened a little. "Nothing has changed, we're keeping our distance. We decided it is for the best, though I must admit I hadn't expected you to become the king so suddenly, so I didn't really have time to get used to being away from him. Oh gods, I hope I didn't say too much," she said and looked apologetic.

"You didn't say too much, you were being asked a question," he reassured. "I'm glad you are being honest."

Arleigh nodded. "And how about you and your secret lover? Or do you still not love her?"

And, okay. He had asked her a sensitive question, so the least he should've expected was just as sensitive a question back. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "Yeah, I do love her. Not much has changed for us either, we're sort of forced to keep our distance as we live in different kingdoms."

Arleigh's eyes widened and she looked at Hiccup with great interest. "It must be horrible to not be able to see her often," she stated, sounding empathetic.

It felt weird to have this conversation with the person he was supposed to marry, but he pushed that feeling in the back of his mind, and he hummed instead. "Agonizing. She is about the best thing that has ever happened to me. She helped me realise how wrong I've been all my life, and she's been such a great support to me all this time we've known each other. If it hadn't been for her, Berk would be totally different. We've both helped each other shape the future we want to see in our kingdoms, and it's been great to have met someone with similar views on the world. So yeah, I love her a lot."

Arleigh looked thoughtful but she was smiling. "She seems like a great person then."

"She is," Hiccup agreed.

There was a long silence between them. The atmosphere had completely changed. After telling all that to Princess Arleigh, it felt pointless to propose to her. It would feel forced. There was nothing he wanted more than to get out of this situation because it didn't feel right. He didn't want to do it.

And then his thoughts became clear to him. His mind had finally made the decision.

He was going to play with fire and put Berk at risk because his heartstrings were leading him in another direction.

"Princess Arleigh," Hiccup began and he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Arleigh turned around. She was looking expectant, but not as nervous as before. "Yes, King Hiccup?"

"You're a wonderful person, and I am honoured to have met someone like you. You are very genuine, and it is easy to spend time with you. That man is lucky to have won your heart over. However, I have had time to think about everything that's been happening in my life recently, and it has made me realise that I want to spend my life beside someone whom I love. I want to have a chance at love now that it's been finally offered to me. For this reason, I regret to tell you that I am retreating from this marriage."

Arleigh hadn't broken their eye contact at all during his short speech so Hiccup could see all the changes in her expression. Her smile was gone, but she didn't look angry or saddened by the news.

"Frankly I wasn't expecting this and it's a lot to take in, but I must admire your courage to follow your heart. I've never seen the likes of you ruling kingdoms. However, my father will not be happy to hear this," she said finally. "How are you planning to calm him down?"

"I can help find you another suitor from some other kingdom. Olissa can have however much land you want from Berk. I will promise to do anything so that war is avoided. I do not mean any harm by this, and I hope war is not in your parents' hearts either," Hiccup talked in a rush. He had no idea where those ideas came from, but they sounded sensible. After all, Berk had plenty of allies and there had to be a prince out there waiting for his princess. Promising land was a tougher one, for Hiccup couldn't tell for sure how much Olissa wanted.

"I truly hope that will be enough for my father. He isn't usually very harsh, but I don't think anybody has ever turned down a marriage during his reign, so he may not take that as lightly."

Yet, to Hiccup that was not the thing he worried about most.

It was the journey to Briral that was awaiting him. The journey that would define a lot about his and Berk's future.

Fishlegs' words resonated in his head once again.

_You have all of Berk behind your back, no matter what decision you make eventually. I just hope you make the right one._

Hiccup hoped this was what his friend would call the right decision.

* * *

**One more chapter to go! EEEEE**  
**Hiccup is a dumbass when he's in love but I love him for that.**

**I love you all and sorry for the slight delay! I was sick.**


	27. Briral

**Oh god guys, it's real. This is the last chapter.**  
**See you at the bottom!**

* * *

The king of Olissa did not take the news lightly, just as Princess Arleigh had anticipated. At first he thought it had been a very tasteless joke and that Hiccup just possessed a questionable sense of humour. In fact, he had told Hiccup off for joking about serious matters like this one, but when there had been no change in his expression, the realisation that the young king was telling the truth had begun to draw on him, and by the end it had looked like he would've given about anything for it to have been a joke.

Of course Hiccup had expected the king of Olissa to be angry – it wasn't everyday that such big deals were turned down, especially when Hiccup had shown no signs of disinterest towards the union in the past. The king of Olissa had made sure to mention that at least five times during their conversation that had been heated from his side and calm but nervous from Hiccup's side.

The king firmly believed that some other kingdom had made a far more valuable offer to Berk, and that was the reason why Hiccup had decided to retreat from the marriage. The king had also made sure to tell Hiccup that it was unheard of that a king put his heart before the needs of his kingdom, and hearing it said like that had made Hiccup doubt several times whether he had completely lost his mind.

It hadn't been easy to calm the king of Olissa down, and Hiccup was positive he hadn't exactly managed to calm him – he had just simply succeeded in making him give up his chant of 'what is it that the other kingdom has and we do not?'; 'twelve years of trust gone just like that!'; 'you are too young to make big decisions like this'; 'I advise you to turn to your most trusted advisor and consider what is best for your kingdom'; 'Olissa shall never forgive this to Berk'. Hiccup had given them the same offer he had suggested to Princess Arleigh; he would help them find another kingdom and Olissa could take land from Berk. In his rage, the king had refused the offer at first, saying he didn't want anything from Berk, and nothing Hiccup offered was good enough for him.

What finally made the king of Olissa accept his defeat was when Hiccup had told him that Berk would only be a burden to Olissa because they were lacking in supplies. After telling this to the king, Hiccup had cast a look in the direction where Gobber, who had been observing the scene before him with a horror-struck expression, was standing, only to see him look even paler and like he had seen a ghost. On Gobber's left side, however, there had stood Fishlegs who had perfectly contrasted the older advisor's emotions – Hiccup had never in his life seen Fishlegs look so happy about something.

So when the royal family of Olissa left, they had come to an agreement that Hiccup would send out letters to all of Berk's allies that he knew to have a prince without a princess, making sure he would talk about Olissa in the best possible light. Hiccup didn't think it was necessary – Olissa was rather popular on these lands, and its location was desired by many – but he had made a mental note to himself to go a bit overboard with the compliments in his letters. Land they didn't want because their kingdoms were located too far from one another for Olissa to benefit from it. However, Berk did have to give a fair share of its riches to Olissa, and meanwhile this damaged Berk greatly, Hiccup did think it was worth it if that avoided war. The lives of Berkians were way more valuable to him than gold.

* * *

It had been a week since the departure of the royal family of Olissa. Hiccup knew he couldn't postpone his visit to Briral much further, and it wasn't that he was avoiding it – there just were tons of things to do before he could leave. They had to finish the rewriting of the law before he could go, and when they were finally done, Hiccup had found out the answer to the question that had been nagging at him since Astrid had told him about her life in Briral; in Berk, the opinion of the queen or the princess didn't use to be as valued as that of the king or the prince, but it had still held some value, which meant that in the past Valka had been able to speak her mind freely. Although the law was better than he had dared to hope, he had still changed it, and now the massive law book of Berk clearly stated that the opinion of the king and the queen was to be valued equally.

Hiccup was going to leave Gobber in temporary charge, and he needed to organise everything in case he never returned from his trip. Every time he thought about the possibility of him dying, he realised just how stupid he was being, and how this was beyond the level of recklessness he had ever crossed. Gobber agreed with this wholeheartedly.

"You do realise what you're about to do?" he asked Hiccup as he walked behind him in the long corridor between the Throne Room and the entrance to the castle. "Why not order our herald to do it? Berk needs you more than it does him, and if things go badly in Briral, we would still have you."

"No, Gobber," Hiccup said, now descending the stairs that led to the courtyard. "I need to do this on my own. The king of Briral needs to see that I truly mean what I am going to tell him."

"And what is it that you're going to tell him?" Gobber asked. Hiccup couldn't see him, but he could hear the suspicious tone in his voice.

"I haven't entirely decided yet," Hiccup admitted. "I have a whole 12 hours to think about that."

They were heading towards the stables where Toothless was ready to leave. Hiccup had prepared everything in advance, and he would've already left if he hadn't forgotten his spare helmet in his chambers, which he then had to retrieve. He didn't want his face to get frostbitten. As he had walked back, he had encountered with Gobber that had tried to talk some sense into his head, but Hiccup was having none of that. Nothing could change his mind now, there was no way he was going to back away and let someone else do the work for him. If things went wrong in Briral, at least Berk would be in good hands.

Fishlegs was already waiting for Hiccup by the stables. He was standing next to Toothless and a guard that was laughing at something Fishlegs had probably just said. The cold air caused everyone's breath turn to clouds of steam and some stable workers were rubbing their hands together to keep them warm. The winter had been delayed this year, but when it kicked in, it really did kick in.

Fishlegs waved friendly to Hiccup who nodded his head as a greeting. The guard turned around and bowed down instantly as he saw his king.

"Everything should be ready, My Lord," he said importantly and motioned to Toothless with his hand.

"Thank you," Hiccup responded and put on his helmet. He had never worn it before so it had a strong, unfamiliar scent to it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gobber asked, though from the tone of his voice it was clear he already knew the answer.

"I have to," Hiccup said and walked next to Toothless. He adjusted his prosthetic leg so that he could fly with it and he placed his foot on the stirrup.

"Good luck," Fishlegs wished and took a couple steps backwards. "I'm sure it will go just fine."

Hiccup smiled at his friend. His optimism was a great change – everybody seemed to be only thinking about the worst outcomes, Hiccup himself included.

Gobber sighed loudly and shook his head. "I hope you're right about this. We will wait two days," he said, not elaborating further. There was no need for that – Hiccup, Fishlegs and Gobber had agreed that if they heard no word from Hiccup in two days, it meant that something had happened to him and a patrol would be sent to search for him.

Hiccup just simply nodded, not daring to say anything out loud as he wasn't sure he could trust his voice not to fail him. He didn't want people to know that this entire mission made him nervous. He had survived from worse things, but he had never before stepped in front of a bunch of people that wanted nothing more than to see him dead. Not knowing what to expect was what made him uneasy.

At least he had a chance to see Astrid again. Hopefully.

* * *

It had been so long since the last time he had had to fly all the way to Briral that he had forgotten how dull it was to fly for 12 hours nonstop. Hiccup had chosen to fly at night so he would be in Briral in the morning; if their king's schedule was anything like Stoick's used to be, he would most likely spend his morning away by doing paperwork, which would mean the king would be in the castle, which meant he would have time to have a conversation with Hiccup.

It felt strange to think about the king of Briral as if Hiccup knew him in person when in reality he didn't have the faintest clue how he spent his mornings.

He had made up his mind about two things. First, if he got the chance to speak with Briral's king, he would request peace. Ending the grudge between their kingdoms mattered the most. Then, secondly, if he succeeded in that, only then would he have the courage to play with fire and test his luck with marrying Astrid. The more he thought about it, the smaller his chances seemed; the king of Briral seemed just as stubborn as Stoick had been, and when Hiccup had told his father that there was a chance for their kingdoms to live in peace, he had found himself locked up in a cell. But how would he ever be able to find out what the outcome of his visit was going to be if he never did it?

When he got close to the borders of Briral, he held his breath and looked around himself. He didn't have to search for a Briralian for long as he could already see those guarding the borders. Had it been any other occasion, Hiccup would've disappeared into the sky with Toothless and tried to enter Briral without being noticed, but this time he needed to be seen and surrounded by those guards.

It wasn't hard to spot a black dragon in the bright morning sky, and soon Hiccup could hear the Briralians cry out something to the others, and they all focused their attention on the approaching duo. Hiccup assumed they didn't shoot because they didn't know who he was, and he didn't want to believe they wanted to kill somebody for no reason.

Toothless landed on the ground, his paws creating some crunchy sounds as they hit the snow. The guards recognised Hiccup the moment he was down, and in a heartbeat, he found himself surrounded by them and being pointed at by spreads and crossbows. Toothless growled at them threateningly, but stopped when Hiccup placed his hand on the dragon's head to calm him down.

"What are you doing here?" one of the guards demanded

"Why are you alone?" another continued.

One of them let out an exasperated sigh and looked at the guard next to him. "Are you an idiot? Of course he isn't alone, do you know who he is for crying out loud?"

"I am alone," Hiccup said, not sure if that was a wise thing to say. "And I've come in peace. I wish to speak with the king of Briral."

The guards stared. Some of them were gaping at him, the rest looked suspicious and like they didn't believe him.

"What is the matter you wish to speak with him about?" one of them asked, lowering his crossbow. Everybody followed his lead and lowered their weapons but Hiccup didn't think even for a second they weren't ready to shoot at him if he did something unexpected.

"I would prefer to keep that between your king and I, but I assure you it is a matter of great urgency," Hiccup stated, keeping any emotion away from his voice.

The guards cast looks between one another, and after what felt like forever they nodded reluctantly.

"It is the code of Briral to hear everyone out who wants to speak to the king, enemy or not," one of them with untamed beard said. It was obvious he didn't want to give in to Hiccup's will.

Hiccup couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath that he let out in mere surprise. That was it? He didn't have to convince them more? King Eirik _had to_ hear him out?

The guards kept him and Toothless surrounded as they made their way through the snow towards the kingdom walls of Briral. They kept on glancing at Hiccup suspiciously, as though they were expecting him to suddenly fly away with his dragon.

One of the guards walked faster, and soon he broke into a run. Hiccup knew he was going to report his visit to the king of Briral who would then decide what to do with Hiccup's request.

There was no turning back now.

* * *

Walking inside Briral was like looking at Berk that was just differently arranged. Almost everything looked identical from the buildings to the people. Briralians stared at Hiccup, and he didn't know if it was because they didn't know him or because they knew him. He quickly scanned through the people that had gathered around to goggle at him, to see if he could spot Fairfax, but he soon realised it was no use – Fairfax had probably disguised himself so well that nobody could recognise him.

They came to a halt when they arrived at the courtyard. A guard told Hiccup to get off Toothless, and when he did as told, the Night Fury was instantly taken from him. Panic rose within him.

"What are you going to do to him?" he asked sharply.

"Nothing," someone answered but it didn't convince Hiccup at all.

Every inch of him wanted to go after Toothless, but he knew that his dragon would be able to defend himself and get away if they were planning to hurt him. The way they were handling him didn't look malicious, though that was probably due to the fact that Toothless made sure to keep everybody at a ten feet distance by growling and showing his teeth.

Someone cleared their throat next to Hiccup and he moved his head to the side.

"The king is waiting. You'd better not test his patience," the man said. Judging by his appearance he must've been a knight. His expression was very unfriendly and he was looking at Hiccup with slight disgust.

Hiccup allowed himself to have one more look at Toothless to ensure he was alright – he was – after which he closed his eyes, sighed and nodded and let the supposed knight and a couple guards from the border lead the way to wherever the king of Briral was at that moment.

He was in the Throne Room. Of course he was. When the doors were opened, Hiccup was met by the sight of the king of Briral sitting on his throne, wearing his massive crown. It was unusual for kings and princes to wear their crowns, but it was often done to show authority if an uninvited guest came to visit. That, added with the fact that the king hated Hiccup, was enough of a reason to wear it.

"Hiccup Haddock," he said in a sneering tone. He seemed quite amused to see his enemy standing there.

The king of Briral looked oldened by the many years of constant war, his tired expression got hidden behind the crown and fancy clothing he was wearing, but the closer Hiccup walked, the clearer it was that he must've been older than Stoick was.

"Your Highness," Hiccup responded and bowed down slightly.

The action earned a laugh from King Eirik. "Why so humble? There's no need for such pretence, we both know you don't mean that."

Hiccup opened his mouth, but his thought was cut off when the doors to the Throne Room were opened again and a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Father, you received a let–" Astrid said, but her speech was short-lived and the sound of her footsteps died out.

Hiccup turned his head slightly to see her bewildered face as she stared at him mouth open. She was holding a letter in her hand. He felt a rush of warmth wash through him. It had been nearly two weeks since they last saw each other, and there had been no way for them to let each other know they were safe, so seeing her stand there in her dark green dress gave Hiccup's heart new strength and he suddenly felt readier to do this.

"Ah, Astrid, come here," Eirik chirped happily. Hiccup couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was being so happy.

Without breaking the eye contact Astrid walked past Hiccup, and she situated herself next to the throne. There were millions of questions in Astrid's eyes as she stood there and bored her eyes into Hiccup's head. Hiccup tried his best to pay more attention to the king than his daughter, but he couldn't help stealing quick glances every once in a while. He had never seen her in a dress and with her hair open, neither had he ever seen such a look of terror and confusion on her face. She was trying to figure out why Hiccup was standing there and if something had happened.

"Astrid, this is Hiccup Haddock the Third," the king of Briral stated and turned to look at his daughter. He slowly moved his head towards Hiccup again and continued: "I have never heard of a 20-year-old king. You must be terrified."

If Astrid didn't look confused a moment ago, she did now. The look she gave him was enough to tell Hiccup that her father had kept the news about Stoick's passing completely to himself. They exchanged a look, and the princess' confusion turned to sadness.

After the couple seconds that passed Hiccup turned his attention back to the king of Briral. "It is a lot to take in, Sir."

The king laughed. "With Berk being so weak, I am expecting to defeat you in no time. I mean, you must give me credit for letting you have time for mourning, but now that I see you standing on both your feet, I think I will make another generous gesture and let you know I am preparing your kingdom's doom."

"That might not be necessary," Hiccup said, hoping that the nervousness that was building up inside him wasn't too audible in his voice.

"Have you come to give in?" Eirik asked, evidently not sure whether to be amused or stunned by Hiccup's response.

"That's one way to put it," he said without breaking their eye contact. He could still feel Astrid's eyes on him, but he didn't dare to look at her. "I have come to make peace between our kingdoms."

King Eirik laughed once again. "You're joking."

"No, I am not, Sir. The grudge has gone on for long enough, and I don't wish to shed the blood of my or your people in vain anymore. As the king of Berk, I want to ensure that those living in my kingdom are safe from unnecessary war. I don't plan to attack Briral ever again, and I hope you are willing to return the favour."

The way Eirik was looking at Hiccup reminded him of the way the king of Olissa had looked at him when he had broken the news he wasn't marrying Princess Arleigh. There was the doubting, unconvinced gleam in his eyes and his eyebrows were frowned in thought.

"How can I be sure that you're not lying and this isn't your attempt to make Briral defenceless?" he finally asked, the mocking tone all gone from his voice now. He seemed to be taking Hiccup seriously, and it would probably only need a couple pushes in the right direction for him to accept Hiccup's proposal for peace.

"I am risking my own kingdom being here. Doesn't that prove that I am being serious about this?" Hiccup counter-questioned.

King Eirik didn't say anything to that, but he leant against the armrest of his throne and rested his head on his fist, looking interestedly at the younger king in front of him.

Astrid moved from beside her father, and both kings turned their attention to her. She rushed to Hiccup's side, and then turned to look at Eirik who looked taken aback by her action.

"Please, Father," she pleaded. "You need to see reason. What is the point in holding a grudge if the other party has no interest in doing that? Think about Briralians," she continued. When the king didn't speak, she kept on going. "Do you remember my friend, Heather? The daughter of the royal blacksmith. She's seen how much war affects the lives of Briralians because she lives among them, and she has told me they are living in constant fear. Every day they wake up not knowing whether their homes are turned to dust later in the day. Is that something you can be proud of? Think about it, isn't this a great opportunity to show Briralians that we care about them?"

Hiccup's chest tightened by the second. He knew she wasn't supposed to stand up against the king of Briral, but she had just done that, and on top of that, she had sided with Hiccup. When he took a side glance at Astrid, he saw the slight fear on her face that came from the uncertainty of what was going to happen next, but she still looked determined.

Astrid's speech was followed by a long silence. King Eirik was dumbfounded – he clearly hadn't expected the conversation to take such a drastic turn in Hiccup's favour. Although he didn't speak, he was thinking hard, that much was obvious from his facial expression. Hiccup didn't understand what there was to think about, for the answer was crystal clear; agreeing to peace was the only option. The king of Briral would have to be out of his right mind if he wanted to keep on fighting.

"I will consider it," he said at last, his voice sounding hoarse. After that he pressed his head against his hand and he rested it there for a while, rubbing his forehead in deep thought.

During King Eirik's lingering inattentiveness, Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other. Making sure her father didn't notice, she subtly intertwined their fingers and she squeezed his hand. Their hands were hidden behind the large hem of Astrid's dress, so the small interaction went completely unnoticed by Eirik. There were guards standing by the door behind them, but either they didn't notice anything or they didn't care.

Hiccup knew what was to be done next. The conversation about peace had gone so well he was afraid he was stretching his luck a bit too far. But he couldn't back away now; he had never been this close to truly being with Astrid, and he had to try and damn the consequences. He wanted to let her know about his plans before he told about them to her father, so after making sure he had her full attention, he mouthed 'will you be my queen' to her.

At first she didn't get it. Hiccup had to repeat it slower, and for good measure he also pointed at her at 'you' and himself at 'me'. When it finally sunk in, Astrid's eyes widened in surprise, but in a heart beat she was eagerly nodding at him and there was an excited gleam in her eyes.

They both cast a look at King Eirik who was still looking like he was trying to get rid of a headache. They knew what to do.

Hiccup pulled his hand away from Astrid's as he cleared his throat. His heart was beating fast and he felt a bit dizzy in his head. When he spoke, he hoped he could maintain that same serenity he had going a moment ago: "I am delighted that you took my words seriously. However, there is also another matter I would like to bring up."

Eirik raised his head and gave the younger king a weary look. "What is it?" he asked with very little enthusiasm.

Hiccup took a deep breath, locked his eyes with King Eirik's. "I have come here to court your daughter and to tie a union between Berk and Briral."

"No," he said in the coldest voice Hiccup had ever heard. "Never."

"But I say yes," Astrid said firmly and took a couple steps forward.

King Eirik blinked. He looked at his daughter as though she had grown three more heads. The way she was speaking to him clearly wasn't something he had gotten used to. "He is an enemy," he stated like that should close the case.

"He is _your_ enemy, not mine, never has been and never will be one," she responded sharply.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Where is this all coming from? You don't even know him."

"What does that matter? You've been trying to find me a suitable prince to marry for years now, and I don't even know any of their names! Why should it suddenly matter whether I know him or not? And for the record, I do know Hiccup, and I love him."

Her father wasn't following anymore. "What do you mean you know and love him? You've never seen him in your life. Have you gone mad?"

"I haven't gone anything! There are many things you don't know about me because you're not letting me be myself in my own kingdom and you're making me hide who I am from you! I am not the kind of daughter you and Mother have been trying to make me! All my life I've tried my best to please you and live up to your expectations and I'm sick of it! I can't even have my own opinion in your presence, all I am allowed to do is silently agree with your decisions even if I feel nothing but rage in my heart! It's my life, Father, can't you let me decide what to do with it for once?"

The words came out of her mouth so smoothly it was clear she had been practising them for a long time, waiting for the right moment to release her rage at her father.

Astrid's unleash of anger had taken Eirik by surprise. He was no longer resting his head against his hand and he had clenched them into fists. He was giving angry glances to both Astrid and Hiccup, and Hiccup couldn't help feeling that the older man was blaming this all on him. He shook his head again. "I haven't the slightest idea what's gotten into you, but it's clear you're not in your right mind. If you were, you would understand I can't obviously allow it."

"There's nothing you can do to stop me from doing it," Astrid said. She had calmed down a little, but she was still angry and her voice was shaking slightly. "And if you don't approve of it, you're turning your own daughter against you."

"Are you so desperate for peace that you're willing to give me empty threats?" her father asked, getting more frustrated and angrier every second.

Astrid lost her temper again. "They're not empty threats! The only thing I am desperate for is happiness! I love him, Father, and you can't stop me from being happy once that's been offered to me! I can't let you take that away from me."

Hiccup wanted to say something, but he felt that he shouldn't interrupt Astrid now that she finally could speak her mind. He kept his eyes fixed on King Eirik, looking for any changes in his appearance. The older king still looked fretful, but if Hiccup's eyes weren't lying, it looked as though Eirik had begun to realise the situation he'd been put in; he could either give in and still have a daughter, or he could refuse and lose a daughter.

"So you're giving me no choice?" the king asked in an irritated, though defeated, voice.

"I am. I just hope you choose the right one," Astrid said, moving closer to Hiccup.

Eirik moved his attention to Hiccup. The way he was looking at him wasn't as malicious as before, but there was no friendliness in his eyes either. Astrid was now standing next to Hiccup, and she looked up at him, then back to her father. After what felt like an eternity, the king of Briral let out a deep sigh, shook his head in defeat and said in a very weak voice: "I don't want to lose my daughter."

Hiccup couldn't believe his ears. He didn't dare to believe them. Had…had King Eirik just given in? Had he just given his approval for Hiccup and Astrid's marriage? The two looked at each other. For a moment they just stared at one another with a blank expression, taking in what Astrid's father's words meant. Astrid let out an inhumane noise and threw herself into Hiccup's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing happily into his chest. Hiccup placed his arms around Astrid, too, unable to stop smiling. This was happiness he had never felt in his life.

"Oh, thank you, Father, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Astrid chanted with tears in her eyes as they broke the hug and she turned to look at her father. She rushed to the king to give him a crushing hug. When her body collided with his, the force knocked his crown off his head and it fell to the stone floor.

King Eirik didn't know how to react at first, but then he awkwardly put his other hand around Astrid and patted her on the back.

"There are many things we need to arrange, still," Eirik stated once his daughter pulled herself away from him. "There is a lot of paperwork to do, and we need to figure out how we can benefit from this union. It will be months before anything can happen," he continued, saying the last bit while looking at Hiccup, as if he was planning to take Astrid with him right away.

"Of course," Hiccup responded as humbly as possible despite the triumph that was ongoing inside him. After all, he was a king and he needed to act like one. "I will do the best I can to ensure we get everything done as smoothly as possible. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, Sir," he said and bowed down.

King Eirik didn't say anything at that. He gave Hiccup the most reluctant smile he had ever seen – it was probably difficult for him to treat Hiccup as an ally after so many years of hating his mere existence.

Both kings agreed on a date when they were to meet and sign the documents, after which Astrid escorted Hiccup out of the Throne Room. Once the door was slammed shut behind them, they pulled each other into a close embrace and attempted to kiss but it turned out to be impossible to do it properly because their smiles were too big and they couldn't help laughing. Eventually they gave up trying and just looked each other in the eyes with so much love.

"Gods, did that just happen?" Hiccup said in astonishment.

"It did," Astrid whispered, smiling from ear to ear. "It's hard to believe it but it did happen."

"You were incredible for standing up to your father like that," he said and put a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"And you were so brave for coming here and risking your life and entire kingdom for this," Astrid said and stood on her tiptoes to place a proper kiss on Hiccup's mouth.

"I love you," Hiccup said after the kiss was over.

"I love you, too," Astrid repeated.

"I can't believe we did it."

"Me neither."

They walked out of the corridor and Astrid showed him the way out of the castle. It seemed that almost everyone had already heard the news, for nobody was giving them questioning looks for walking so close to one another. The knight that had given Hiccup a disgusted look before was now looking at him a content smile on his face. Brighter times were ahead for Berkians and Briralians.

Toothless was waiting for Hiccup by the stables that Hiccup remembered from their last attack on Briral when he tried to save their own dragons. Although that had happened only a few months ago, it felt like a distant memory that had become foggy along the years. The Night Fury was beyond pleased to see his human, and to Hiccup's surprise, there was also another familiar face waiting for him.

"I told you love makes everything worthwhile," Fairfax said with a big grin on his face. He really did look different; he had gone all the way in with his disguise and he looked like a poor stable boy that had never in his life held a sword.

Hiccup returned the grin. "Would you like to come back to Berk, Sir Fairfax?"

The man let out a hearty laugh. "Can't say no to the king, can I?"

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other again. The look they gave each other said more than a thousand words ever could. All this time they had thought there was no hope for them to find their way to be together, and now they were getting their happy ending in the best possible way. Both their lives had changed so much after meeting one another, and it wasn't just their lives that had changed – they had also changed as a person. Hiccup couldn't believe there had been a time when Astrid wasn't in his life, because now that she was in it, it felt as though that was the way it was always meant to be.

"Make sure Berk will be ready for me when I come," Astrid said, pulling Hiccup closer to her. "My king," she added in a whisper.

"I will, my queen," Hiccup replied and pressed his lips on hers one last time before getting on Toothless and helping Fairfax do the same.

It didn't matter how many months it would take before Astrid could move to Berk. All that mattered was that they knew they were going to stay by each other's side for the rest of their lives.

Hiccup couldn't be happier.

**the end**

* * *

**I can't even begin to describe the emotions I'm going through right now. When I quit writing this fic in 2017, I never believed I'd pick it up again. I was never planning to do it, but suddenly I just felt like doing it, and now we're here, at the end of this story. This is the first story I've written in English, so writing this was a real challenge to me. I've learned so much about the English language along the way and I hope to improve in the future.**

**I would like to thank every single one of you who has read this story, either the entirety of it, parts of it or just a couple sentences here and there. And those who've shown constant support to this story by reviewing, favouriting, following etc., you have no idea how much your support has meant to me. Thank you to everyone who's ever been involved with this fic somehow.**

**I have other Hiccstrid stories in mind, and I hope I get to start writing one of them soon. It's going to be a multi-chaptered fic with magic, proper lore and all that, and it will be written from Astrid's POV.**

**Thank you, everyone!**


End file.
